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Ana Elena PugaLove of Journalism Leads to a Career in TheaterBy Theresa Rojas, Editor, ¿Qué Pasa, OSU? and PhD Student, Department of EnglishPHOTO PROVIDED BY VICTOR ESPINOSAFulbright Scholar, Dr. AnaElena Puga holds a joint appointment inthe departments of Theater and Spanishand Portuguese where she is noted forher work on aesthetics and politics in LatinAmerican and US Latino performance. “Thewonderful joint appointment that I nowenjoy, between Theatre and Spanish andPortuguese has turned out to be a good fitfor me. The most rewarding part is feelinglike a bit of a bridge in which I help folksfrom Theatre and SPPO come together.”Puga will be spending a year in Mexicoworking on her project Staging MigrantSuffering. She notes, “Since immigrationreform is in the works now, this researchfeels extremely urgent and the [Fulbright]award could not have been more timely.”Puga is also a translator and dramaturg.She explains: “Dramaturgy is the artof creating the intellectual climate for thereception of a work. The dramaturg worksas a kind of consultant to a theater and toa director. She or he may be involved in awide range of activities: translating plays,promoting their production, helping thedirector arrive at a production concept,making suggestions during rehearsals,Faculty ProfileNewly mintedwriting program notes, and organizingevents such as exhibits orpost-show discussions or symposiumsaround the themes raised bya production, among other things.”Originally from Chicago, Puga“grew up about a block fromWrigley Field. I was a Cubs fanfrom an early age but the constantdisappointment led me to give itup later in life. I also always hada transnational connection toMexico – especially Guadalajara,where my mother is from, andGuanajuato, where my grandfatherhad a magical garden witheight guacamayas and a little roomfull of cages in which my mother’sstepmom kept a total of 80-somedifferent varieties of Australianparakeets. Between the birds andthe swing my grandfather set upfor me on the branch of a tall tree,I was pretty much in heaven there.”Ana Puga began her career asa journalist. She recalls, “When I was a kid,my father would bring all the newspapershome every day: the Tribune, the DailyNews, and the Sun-Times. I loved readingeverything from Ann Landers to the politicalopinion columns, especially Mike Roykoand his slashes at our very own Chicagocacique, Mayor Richard J. Daley. Also, myparents didn’t have much money to travel,so I wanted a career that would finance mycraving to see the world. My dream was tobe a foreign correspondent on an expenseaccount. For a while, I was. My journalismjobs took me to Caracas (no expenseaccount), Dallas (limited expenses, since Imostly covered the suburbs of Dallas), Tokyo(better expense account), Mexico City (bestexpense account), Boston, and Washington,DC, oddly enough in that order.”It was journalism that led Puga to theater.“I loved the drama of street life, from celebrationsof ethnic roots to urban guerrillawarfare, all of which I later found out can bestudied with theoretical frameworks developedin the field of performance studies.Political protest, and political repression,has always fascinated me, ever since I readRoyko’s account of how Black Panther FredHampton was assassinated during an FBIraid, and of how that murder was coveredup with what I now recognize as theatricalstrategies.”Puga is the co-founder of La MicroTheater. She explains, “It’s a theatercompany that I founded along with somefriends when I was just out of graduateschool. Having our own company was ahuge learning experience, since we had tostart it from the ground up. I would highlyrecommend to young people interestedin staging work, their own or others, thatif there is work that they would like tosee staged but can’t get staged that theyproduce it themselves. As Judy Garland andMickey Rooney said: ‘Let’s put on a show!’”Puga’s favorite part of her current workis “teaching students who are genuinelyinterested in learning and in sharing theirexperiences and ideas – both undergradsand grad students.” She also loves “goingoff into the field to talk to people aboutwhat is happening in their lives. Besidestalking to folks, through participant-observationethnography I can better understandtheir experience of the world. At themoment, for instance, I am on leave fromteaching in order to conduct researchin shelters for migrants who are mostlyundocumented and mostly from CentralAmerica. I volunteer in the shelters, participatein daily life there, yet also do interviewsand take notes on the side. This isa great way to learn more about variousperformative strategies for representingmigrant suffering and defending migrantrights. Recently, for instance, my researchin the shelters has involved sweeping andmopping floors, cleaning refrigerators,helping a very old woman in her wheelchairdrink her atole, participating in aBaptist prayer service, attending a Catholicmass, and interpreting for an Englishspeakingmigrant who was robbed anddoesn’t speak Spanish.”For students considering studyingtheater, she says, “Major in engineering. Justkidding. Seriously, it’s not such a terriblerisk. There is a ‘real world’ in the world oftheatre and of performance more broadlyconstrued.” Puga’s work demonstrates just afew of those rich possibilities.4

“Customers Also Bought…”How Readers Connect Gay Chicano Writers on Amazon.comBy Doug Bush, PhD Candidate, Department of Spanish and PortugueseWhether for school or pleasure, manyof us have become accustomed to buyingour books online. Indeed, I normally turnto Amazon.com first because I can findvirtually anything I’m looking for, manytimes in a variety of formats (physicalcopy, Kindle edition, used, etc.), and theyarrive quickly. Sometimes I find things thatI wasn’t looking for, thanks to dynamicsearch results that display what othercustomers who purchased my item alsobought. While many online book retailersdisplay lists of items frequently purchasedtogether, Amazon is unique in displayinghow individual authors are connectedthrough customer purchases. When Ibuy a work such as Rigoberto González’sButterfly Boy, my previous purchases influencewhich authors the next customer seeson González’s Author Page. For researcherslike myself, these connections offernot only a unique opportunity to see howreaders connect authors, but they alsoprovide new ways of approaching longerstanding research questions.I came to my current project hopingto uncover how gay Chicanoauthors have formed authorialcommunities and shared identities,much like their ChicanaFeminist counterparts havedone over the past severaldecades. Chicanas saw theirvoices shut out of the broaderChicano movement of the1960s and 1970s, which is whythey worked together to createa space to express their subjectivities.This was particularlyimportant for queer Chicanaswho did not see themselvesreflected in broader feminist orqueer movements, includingnow well-known names suchas Cherríe Moraga and GloriaAnzaldúa.As other researchers haveexplained, gay Chicano writersdid not follow the same pathas Chicana feminists, and havebeen subject to some harshcriticism because of it. In herseminal essay “Queer Aztlán,”Moraga writes that her queer brothers wereable to hide behind their gender and thusstill the dominant voices in the Chicanocommunity. Here, she cites well-knownChicano authors Arturo Islas and RichardRodriguez as particular examples. While wecan debate Moraga’s reasoning, it was notuntil the late 1990s that gay Latino authorsbegan to create the sorts of unifying collectionsthat Chicana and other feministsof color had produced almost two decadesearlier in This Bridge Called My Back (1981)and Cuentos: Stories By Latinas (1983).Nevertheless, even considering theseworks, which include Bésame Mucho (1999)and Virgins, Guerrillas and Locas (1999), aslate as 2010, Rigoberto González wrote thatgay Latinos have still not formally coalescedinto the coherent community that theirChicana counterparts did decades earlier.In my current project, I want to movebeyond the idea of gay Chicano authorscreating literary communities and identities,and instead focus on the role of thereader. I move past the established generationof gay Chicano authors, includingArturo Islas, Rigoberto Rodriguez, JohnRechy, and Michael Nava, and toward thenext generation—Alex Espinoza, RigobertoGonzález, and Manuel Muñoz—who haveall published mostly within the past decade.Espinoza released his first novel, Still WaterSaints, in 2007, and his second, The Five Actsof Diego León in March of 2013. Muñoz haspublished two very well received collectionsof short stories, Zigzagger (2003) andThe Faith Healer of Olive Avenue (2007), andthe recent novel What You See in the Dark(2011). González, meanwhile, may be themost prolific gay Latino author of his age.His works include collections of poetry,short stories, a novel, an autobiography,children’s books and novels for gay Latinoadolescents, with two more titles slated forrelease in 2013. His most well-known workis the autobiography Butterfly Boy (2006),which is also consistently his best-sellingbook on Amazon, and one of the few gayChicano biographical works on the market.While González and Muñoz in particularhave been far more open in expressingtheir sexualities in their literature thanmany of the earlier generation of gayChicano authors, they still have not formallycoalesced into the same type of communityas the Chicana Feminists. Instead ofrehashing this point, this project insteadturns toward the reader, and how they mayform communities of authors. Amazon.com is critical in this research because itoffers a world of insight that we have neverhad before. When looking up a book, thewebsite displays of list of books under“Customers Who Bought This Item AlsoBought,” while author pages list connectedwriters under “Customers Also BoughtItems By.” Our buying patterns decide theserankings—if I purchase Sandra Cisneros’best-selling The House on Mango Street andlater buy Muñoz’s Zigzagger, my clicks helpdetermine how the next customer seesthese authors connected.I decided to focus solely on Amazonfor a number of reasons: it is now thelargest bookseller in the country, it offersa wealth of insight into buying patterns,and importantly, the company does notposition books based on who publishedthem. In a traditional store such as Barnes6

& Noble, Espinoza’s Still Water Saints, publishedby Random House, would have anobvious advantage in positioning overGonzález’s novel Crossing Vines, printed bythe University of Oklahoma Press. In fact,we would probably be hard-pressed to findCrossing Vines in any of these types of largechains. In this sense, Amazon has actedas a great equalizer where the idea of thecybercommunity—readers connectingwith other readers online—has becomefar more important than the power ofpublishers.To see how readers have connectedEspinoza, González, and Muñoz, I trackedthe names of the 16 authors appearingunder their “Customers Also BoughtItems By” list for four months in late 2012.As I do not have access to precise salesdata, I assumed that the rankings werestrongly correlated to sales—while thenames appearing at the top of the listtended to be static, there was much moremovement toward the bottom of the list.I assigned each a weighting according totheir position on the list, and the numberof times that they appeared across the 16weeks that I collected data. It would bepreferable to obtain data over a longerperiod of time, but this is an ongoingproject that hopes to capture the dynamicsof continuing consumer habits. Overall, theresults not only revealed that readers doindeed connect Espinoza, González andMuñoz, but also offered keen insights inthe Latina/o book market in general. I wantto note that it was more difficult to arrive atconclusions from Espinoza’s data, perhapsbecause he has published only one novelto this point. I expect his results to becomefar more dynamic after the release of DiegoLeon.It appears that readers have formedsome type of cybercommunity of thesethree authors even though they have notformally worked together in a collectionlike Chicana Feminist works Cuentos orThis Bridge. Muñoz was highest weightedauthor on Espinoza’s list, and ranked thirdfor González. González ranked fifth onMuñoz’s list, and appeared on Espinoza’slist during the final data collection point. Ifwe compare these results to the first generationof gay Chicano authors, we see a fascinatingchange: there are few links amongthe most prominent names of this generation,including Islas, Rodriguez, Rechy, andNava. It does not yet appear that readersare connecting these two generations—while Islas appears on both the lists ofMuñoz and Espinoza, others are noticeablyabsent. However, readers are connectingEspinoza, González and Muñoz with otherqueer artists, Latina/o and not, includingDaniel Alarcón, Leslea Newman, AliciaGaspar de Alba, and Edwidge Danticat.An important question for further investigationis why readers are making thesecross-ethnic queer connections, but notcross-generational gay Chicano ones.While I primarily collected data onEspinoza, González and Muñoz, the resultsalso offered some interesting insightsinto the Latina/o book market as a whole.Analyzing this market can be difficultbecause it is hard to come by exact salesfigures. For example, we know that SandraCisneros and Junot Díaz are best-sellingauthors, but how do others fit in? Duringmy tracking of Amazon’s top 20 entries of“Hispanic American Best Sellers,” Cisneros’Mango Street and Díaz’s Oscar Wao and ThisIs How You Lose Her had a lock on the topthree positions, while other familiar namessuch as Cristina García and Julia Álvareztypically rounded out the top 10. The onlybook by a new author that consistentlyappeared on this list was Justin Torres’ Wethe Animals, released in 2011. Perhaps notsurprisingly, both González and Muñozwere very strongly connected to these topselling authors and overall, most of theauthors on their lists, as well as Espinoza’s,were other Latino artists. Here is where wesee an interesting divide: Latina/o top-sellers,including Cisneros, Díaz and García, arealso connected to other Latina/o authors,but also to well-known names such as ToniMorrison, Louise Erdrich, and Alice Munro.This likely shows that they have achievedcross-cultural, mass market appeal, somethingthat has so far eluded lesser knownauthors such as Espinoza, González, andMuñoz. The data suggests that those whobuy the books of the authors that I focus on,at least on Amazon, are probably more avidreaders of Latina/o literature, and not thegeneral public.Unfortunately, the data collected for thelist of books in “Customers Who Bought ThisItem Also Purchased” was far less conclusiveand because of this, I ultimately decidednot to use it. Here, Muñoz’s top connectionswere frequently to his own works, ButterflyBoy’s were to other queer biographies,while there was little discernible patternin Still Water Saints. A possible explanationis that the list of authors looks at widerrelationships—connections between themany books of each author—while thelist of books is limited to buying patternsbetween specific titles. It may also be preferableto use the list of authors because it isless likely to influence customer decisions.Midway through the study period, Amazonmoved this feature from the bottom ofeach book page to the individual authorpage, meaning that fewer customers arelikely to see it. In this way, the list of authorsbecomes less circular in nature—customersare less likely to click on author namesbecause they’re on the list, thus reinforcingthe names already there.The implications of this emerginggay Chicano cybercommunity of authorsare especially important for new writers.Instead of working from outside of a disconnectedcanon, new authors may be ableto use the connections that readers haveformed between Espinoza, González, andMuñoz, as well as others, to position themselveswithin the market. Much of this willdepend upon how Amazon continues tocollect and interpret our purchasing habitsand, of course, what sorts of books theseauthors continue to write.Doug Bush is a 2012-13 LASER/HumantiesFellow. His dissertation, “Selling a Feeling:New Approaches Toward Recent Gay ChicanoAuthors and their Audience” uses narrativeand cognitive theory to explore how readersconnect with the works of Alex Espinoza,Rigoberto González, and Manuel Muñoz.www.quepasa.osu.edu Spring Semester 2013 7

El PuebloThe First Year Latino CohortBy Melissa Zepeda, Junior, Department of Comparative Studies and Jane Newland, Sophomore, Department of Spanish and PortugueseThis fall, The Ohio StateUniversity’s Multicultural Centerstarted a First Year Latino Cohort.The idea behind the cohort is tocreate and cultivate a communityenvironment that many upperclassmenand alumni desiredwhen they were freshmen. Asa result of this group, incomingLatino students no longer needto struggle to find friends whoshare their cultural backgroundand interests. From day one oncampus, they have the optionof becoming part of a close-knitLatino CommunityWhen Indra Leyva,Intercultural Specialist at theMulticultural Center and founderof El Pueblo, first approached usto be co-leaders of this group, wewere eager to do so. How couldwe say no to joining a team thathelps new students find their wayaround campus while simultaneouslyhelping to mold the cohortfor future generations of Latinostudents? We simply couldn’t.Our initial goal was use ourexperiences as the basis forcreating an abundance of highlyaccessible resources for first yearLatinos. Within this mission, we wanted tocultivate flexibility by keeping the changingand multifaceted needs of this group in mind.We developed a custom curriculum as wewent along, relying on the expectations andactive participation of members.During El Pueblo’s first semester, weinvited guest speakers to share advice aboutdifferent opportunities and resources aroundcampus. Additionally, we hosted fun eventsfor the cohort, such as showing cultural filmssponsored by Alpha Psi Lambda throughtheir “Cine Latino” series. We encouragedstudents to get better acquainted with ourcampus via activities such as a scavengerhunt around the Ohio Union.Since the first meeting of the cohort,community service has played an importantrole in bringing us together. By the end ofthe first semester, we hand assembled anddonated fleece tie blankets to the local YWCAWomen’s Center, calling our service project“Bundle Up.” We also donated handmadeand newly bought hats, scarves, and mittensfor the cold winter months that were quicklyapproaching. Witnessing these studentsdedicate so much time and effort to creatingand donating needed goods demonstrateshow devoted we are to giving back to thecommunity and doing so as a united groupof growing citizen-scholars. To a person, themembers of El Pueblo are eager to make adifference. We have a great deal to offer notonly to OSU’s Latino community, but alsoto the larger university and surroundingcommunity.Leading El Pueblo has been as much ofa learning experience for us as coordinatorsas it has been for the students participatingin the cohort. As facilitators of the group,we have grown and changed together, constantlyreflecting upon and assessing thesuccess of our various activities.Recently, we welcomed two newleaders, Gabrielle Vásquez andDeborah Amézquita who bringthe kind of enthusiasm for cultivatingthe cohort that promises tomake us the strongest and mostconnected group of Latinos OSUhas witnessed to date.Recently, the members of ElPueblo shared what they enjoymost about our weekly gatheringsand what being part of thiscommunity means to them. IonySchmidt, first year, Psychologymajor reflects: “El Pueblo is like ahome away from home. It’s niceto come to the cohort and be withothers who appreciate and sharesimilar cultures.” First year Biologymajor Sebastián Mejía, adds, “Wehave a small community rightnow, but I’m sure that in the yearsto come, we will be able to growand keep sharing experiencesthat further our understanding ofnot only our own cultures, but ofthe cultures of others.”Although we are only in oursecond semester, we have accomplisheda tremendous amount. ElPueblo is finding its way by bothworking and playing together in service ofbuilding our community. With the supportof the community here at The Ohio StateUniversity, we expect to continue to grow,thrive, and excel.Jane Newland is a Spanish major planningto teach English as a Second Language in thefuture. In addition to El Pueblo, she is involved inthe OSU Latino Student Association and worksas an Aftercare Assistant at St. James the LessCatholic School in Columbus.Melissa Zepeda is a Comparative Studies majorworking on applying to graduate school. Inaddtion to El Pueblo, she is activley involvedin the Latino Student Association at OSU andworks in the Multicultural Center.El Pueblo meets every Thursday at 7:30 PM inthe Multicultural Center, Ohio Union.8

Education Reform and Smoking Cessation ResearchParental Lessons Lead to Inquiry in ActionBy Tomás Moreno-Vasquez, Junior, Departments of Economics, Psychology, and NeuroscienceAs a Junior majoring in economics,psychology, and cognitive neuroscience, Icannot emphasize enough the lessons myparents, Colombian immigrants, taught mein terms of working hard at accomplishinga great deal while helping people improvetheir life. My parents’ influence has led meto working both on education reform andsmoking cessation research.Students for Education Reform is acampus organization whose goal is to collectivelywork toward closing the achievementgap. People come to this countryevery day to achieve a better life for themselvesand their children, but they areconstantly disappointed by inadequateeducational opportunities. Schools in highpoverty areas across the country are consistentlyunderperforming compared to thosein suburban districts. Some states haveinstalled laws shielding tenured teachersfrom termination, leaving many youngup and coming educators out of jobs.Furthermore, many states tightly controltheir number of charter schools, (publicschools that are run by a third party ratherthan by the government). These charterschools can function as laboratories, providingexcellent alternative models forour current school systems. Changes arenumerous and readily demonstrable. Forexample, lengthening school days, requiringstudents receive tutoring, and mandatorysummer school to prevent studentsfrom forgetting their lessons are all viableoptions. Programs like Race to the Top,which incentivize states with grants worthhundreds of millions of dollars, have helpedto change the laws regarding educationin many states. While these programs area great start, the fact remains that the USis ranked far below other industrializednations when it comes to our educationsystem. It may be a few years before we seethe payoffs from our changes, but we are onthe right track.The second critical activity for me isinvolvement with smoking cessationresearch. My mother has always discouragedme from ever starting to smoke. As adoctor, she would recite the statistics overand over again. Over 400,000 people dieevery year from tobacco related causes.Tobacco use costs the US $193billion per year, with smokersliving 14 years less on averagethan nonsmokers. So, what canbe done to deter people fromsmoking?Currently, the FDA is workingto introduce cigarette packageswith graphic warning labels.These new packages wouldinclude the usual SurgeonGeneral’s warning; cigarettescause cancer, heart diseaseetc., and would display anadditional picture. My researchlooks at the effect the imagehas on a smoker’s long-termmemory. Past research hasshown that pairing a numberwith an emotionally chargedword like “love” improves longterm memory for that numbercompared to a number pairedwith an emotionally neutralword like “swim,” or no word. My researchexamines the effect of different levels ofgraphic intensity of warning labels. Assuch, I’m testing to see if pairing a messagewith an extremely graphic picture, such as apicture of mouth cancer, improves memoryfor the warning message compared to aless graphic picture, like a lung made ofcigarette butts. Memory for the warninglabels on cigarette packages is so importantbecause smokers who think about anddiscuss those warnings have been shown tohave a greater desire to quit.Finding ways to help people makebetter decisions is a hot issue for investigation.Borrowing ideas from psychologyand economics, people are trying tofind new ways to nudge others towardthe right answer without infringing on anindividual’s free will. For example, in the USthousands of people die every year becausethey cannot find an organ donor. A cleverway to remedy this problem is by changingthe default decision on driver’s licenseforms. Whether it’s deciding to be an organdonor or picking a retirement fund, whena default option is available, a significantfraction of people will choose to stick withit. So, changing the default option on theorgan donor form from no to yes shouldcause more people to decide to be organdonors without infringing on their rights.Although the evidence supports theoverwhelming benefits of smoking cessation,some argue that this research is unethical.Detractors say smoking is a choice andthose who do smoke consciously weigh therisks and the benefits, and can decide forthemselves whether it’s worth it. I see it differently.People decide to smoke becausethe consequences are far removed from theimmediate action. Will smoking one cigarettekill you? No, but how many times mustsomeone say “It’s only one cigarette” beforethey develop a problem? People successfullyfight addictions every day, but a significantnumber struggle and lose the battle.This research works to prevent that firstcigarette. For those who already smoke, itwill hopefully help them find the inspirationneeded to quit.To learn more about Students for EducationReform at OSU, e-mail Tomás at Morenovasquez.1@osu.edu.For more on smokingcessation, visit http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/cessation/quitting/index.htmwww.quepasa.osu.edu Spring Semester 2013 9

Idea LabSupporting Diverse Creative Development at OSUBy Ben Delgado, MA Student, Arts Policy and Administration and Idea Lab Coordinator, Urban Arts SpaceArt has always been a part of my life.As a child I made works with crayons,markers, clay, and pencils. My interestsdeveloped as I grew into more complexmedia such as painting, ceramics, crocheting,and ultimately film. It was my passionfor film that led me on the winding pathto The Ohio State University. As a master’sstudent, I am fortunate to be able to workfor the OSU Urban Arts Space, an offcampusgallery and alternative performingarts space in downtown Columbus,where I am the Idea Lab Coordinator.Idea Lab supports Ohio State Universitystudents in their creative, entrepreneurial,and sustainable activities through projectsupport, workshops, mentoring, andrelationship building. We seek projectsthat engage the community throughthe arts, innovation, and financial andenvironmental sustainability with lastingimpact on the Columbus community.Idea Lab is an amazing opportunity.Every Ohio State student may apply toreceive hands-on assistance and guidanceas well as program support for projectsand ideas. We hold workshops, facilitatecommunity connections, providefunding, and extend our support to helpmove projects along in all stages. IdeaLab is organized each year by the IdeaLab Coordinator (who is also an annualBarnett Fellow, designated to the Spaceby the Department of Arts Administration,Education, and Policy) with the assistanceof several Urban Arts Space staff who helpto promote the call for entries and supportrelated events. With essentially a one-personstaff that rotates annually, getting theword out is no easy task. At times, it seemsan uphill battle to give away money.While as a Mexican-American I findit easy to immediately extend my sympathiesand camaraderie to the greaterLatino community, it is all too easy todevelop blinders to the concerns ofother communities. Fixated on my ownfamiliar struggle, I can forget to lookbeyond my backyard to see others in differentcommunities struggling with thesame issues. For example, the 2013 IdeaLab has awarded funding to a projectentitled Dumarka Soomaaliyeed VoicesUnveiled. It is an interactive, virtual, photoexhibition space exploring the way thatyoung Somali women experience andunderstand their role within their communityhere in Columbus. Currently theproject is touring through the Columbuspublic libraries. The goal is to extend theproject into the virtual realm in order tomake it participatory and reach a wideraudience for new exhibitions and worksdocumenting the lives of Somali womenin the Columbus area and throughout thecountry. This is just one example of howIdea Lab can help the promotion of diversityand give voice to a cultural minority.Historically, the Latino community inthe United States has lacked significantrepresentation both in the art world andas members of the collegiate class. IdeaLab provides an opportunity for widerrecognition of Latinos through projectproposals from students of all culturalbackgrounds for projects that focus ondiversity and community development.Idea Lab not only facilitates the expressionof creative ideas, but also providesa platform for students to demonstratetheir passions beyond the classroom, thusextending that work past the boundariesof campus.This sort of idea was never on my radargrowing up. With parents who came tothe country as teenagers who had to worktheir way up to living on $20 a week withtwo kids, it’s a wonder there was time, letalone money, to provide my sister and mewith artistic opportunities. Art and creativityare essential to the developmentof a culturally literate individual. Withcultural literacy comes cultural and socialcapital that manifest into greater accomplishments.The development of this kindof literacy can begin at an early age, butfor parents who have to cope with thebasic challenges of language acculturationand putting food on the table, sucha Bourdieuvian ideal is the last thing ontheir minds. This is where Idea Lab canhelp.Idea Lab offers a push forward tostudents with innovative ideas. AsCoordinator, I am proud to be one of thestudents afforded the opportunity tocontribute to my community in a meaningfulway. It is important that we workto improve our representation throughactions as well as words. Idea Lab is aperfect vehicle for Latino OSU students totake on that task.OSU Urban Arts Space is located at 50 W.Town Street in the historic Lazarus Building.2013 Idea Lab projects will appear throughoutthe spring and summer at various locationsin the community. Applications forthe 2014 Idea Lab cycle will be availableautumn, 2013. For more information visituas.osu.edu/idealab or call 614-292-8861.10

Summer, Sutures, and South AmericaA Brazilian Surgical Oncology InternshipBy Alexandra Dulin, Junior, Center for Life Sciences EducationThe patient had been prepared, thenurse and surgical technologist waitedpatiently, and I was scrubbed in andlooking to the resident standing on theopposite side of the bed. He noddedencouragingly and I took a deep breath.I gripped the scalpel and made the firstincision on the right superior shoulder ofthe patient.Students on the pre-medicine trackwith hopes of specializing in surgeryalways dream about their first time operatingon their own. While the little detailsmay differ from one student to the next,all fantasize the moment one firmlystates: “Scalpel.” But this was no fantasy.At twenty years old, in the most southernstate of Brazil, I performed surgery. Underthe supervision of a resident, I removedmalignant melanoma from a man’sshoulder and stitched up the four-inchincision. While it may not have been themost glamorous moment, I became asurgeon with the first cut.What sounds like a fantasy was myreality for six weeks. During the summerof 2012, I lived out my dream of being asurgeon. I was treated like an intern andwas able to participate in every consultation,exam, and surgery. Even withoutany medical experience on my part,the doctors took the time to teach medifferent skills and held me to certainstandards. From my first day, I was inthe operating room scrubbing in. I wastaught how to place sutures, do skingrafts, intubate patients, insert catheters,and countless other procedures. I washeld responsible for rounds and checkingvitals of my attending’s patients. I learnedmore than I could have imagined.Outside of the operating room, Ilearned what only experience couldteach me. Interacting with patients ona personal level helped me understandthat what made the surgeons I wassurrounded by truly superb was theirdemeanor and their kindness. Theirextensive knowledge of the medicine,diagnosis, and treatment was impressive,but it was the way that they interactedeach and every day with their patientsthat set them apart. The relationshipsthat the surgeons had with their patientsmade fighting cancer seem that mucheasier, but had a difficult side-effect:saying goodbye. Having such personalconnections made it so that when aperson died from the terrible disease, themedical staff didn’t just lose a patient, butalso a friend.While these relationships are what setapart the medical staff from any I haveinteracted with before, it was impossiblydifficult watching the pain they feltwhen patients died. When working withoncology patients, dealing with death ispart of the job. Before working in Brazil,I believed that the best way to handle somany emotions was to become immune tothem and thus become robotic and unattached.However, after spending so muchtime with the patients and staff, I realizedthat it was impossible to do so. Indeed, itwas the worst thing I could do as a medicalprofessional. Attitude and outlook areeverything in medicine, andshutting those emotionsout doesn’t make onestaff member better thananother. Instead, it restrictshow large an impact theyare able to make on apatient and their familymembers.The most valuablelesson I learned wasn’t aprocedure or a skill, butinstead something I couldnever learn in a classroom.Spending all day in an operatingroom and activelyparticipating made mereevaluate whether or notsurgery was something towhich I wanted to dedicatemy entire life. Now, surgicaloncology is the only careerI can imagine. I am confidentthat when I graduatefrom medical school andam placed in my own operatingroom, I will be ableto handle it well. I haveevery confidence that I amdestined to be a surgeon.It is the only thing that I want to do withmy life.Further, this confidence has transcendedmy desires to go to medical school. It hasgiven me much more motivation in everyaspect of my life. I am able to slow downand enjoy each of my classes instead offeeling anxious and unsure. Most importantly,I have become more stringentlymotivated to do well in all that must comebefore. The decision to seek an internshipand go somewhere unexpected haschanged my life for the better.In 2012, Alexandra Dulin worked in HospitalSanta Rita in Porto Alegre, Brazil for sixweeks. She was under the tutelage of Dr.Felice Riccardi, surgical oncologist.www.quepasa.osu.edu Spring Semester 2013 11

We Decide.Latin@s and the 2012 Presidential ElectionBy Francisco-Xavier Gómez-Bellengé, Associate to the Dean, Fisher College of BusinessFollowing the re-election of GeorgeW. Bush in 2004, pundits declared a newpermanent republican majority due toshifting demographic and political forces.It is with some skepticism, then, that wemust view similar claims of a new permanentdemocratic majority following there-election of Barack Obama in 2012. Oneof the new forces, it is said, is the rise ofLatinos as a significant electoral force fordemocrats. Indeed, a recent Pew Centerstudy predicts a doubling of the Latin@vote by 2030.Republicans can recognize demographictrends as well as Democrats soin the days after Obama’s re-election,republican pundits discussed how to get alarger share of that essential Latin@ vote.It was scarcely possible to have a discussionof presidential politics without mentioningMarco Rubio, the Florida senator,as an early leader in the 2016 republicanpresidential sweepstakes. Both Rubio andSusana Martinez, the governor of NewMexico, had been mentioned as possiblevice-presidential running mates of MittRomney. Latin@s, the argument went,were a natural fit for the Republican Partybecause of their religiosity and conservativesocial values. All that was needed wasa suitable candidate.There are good reasons to be skepticalof this line of reasoning. Neither AlanKeyes in 2008 nor Herman Cain in 2012had any discernible impact on the AfricanAmerican vote. If recent history is any indication,neither race nor ethnicity aloneis likely to sway a significant numberof voters. A different argument is thatpresumably, a Rubio or Martinez presidentialcandidate would espouse moreLatin@-friendly policies. Indeed, Rubiohas advocated for less stridently antiimmigrantpolicies and a different tone inthe national conversation on immigration.However, when Texas Governor Rick Perrydid as much during the 2012 Republicanprimaries, he quickly fell out of favor withRepublican voters. Policies alone are notan obvious solution because a primarycandidate who would be Latin@-friendlyenough to attract a significant portion ofthe Latin@ vote might find it difficult toget enough non-Latin@ support in theprimaries.A look at some basic issues is in order.The very concept of Hispanic/Latin@identity is problematic as a number ofscholars have argued. In Ethnic Groups andBoundaries, Fredrik Barth sets four conditionsfor the existence of an ethnic group;1. Is largely biologically self-perpetuating2. Shares fundamental cultural values,realized in overt unity in cultural forms3. Makes up a field of communicationand interaction4. Has a membership that identifiesitself, and is identified by others, as constitutinga category distinguishable fromother categories of the same order.While this definition works well withsome racial and ethnic groups in theU.S. and elsewhere, it does not work particularlywell with U.S. Hispanic/Latin@s.Barth says “ethnic groups are categoriesof ascription and identification by theactors themselves” yet many Latin@sderive their ethnic identity primarily fromtheir country of origin, not from somepan-ethnic or pan-national origin. Evenamong Americans of Mexican origin, forexample, identity depends on a variety offactors such as length of time in the U.S.,region of origin or region of residency.Chicano identity, for example, is distinctfrom Mexican, Mexican-American, andHispanic/Latin@ identity. Also, someLatin@s are outwardly English dominantand acculturated but nevertheless mindfulof how national politics affect others withtheir same physical appearance, ancestryor last name. The terms “Hispanic” or“Latino” in fact capture a diverse rangeof ethnic groups/national origins acrossand within Spain, Portugal, and a varietyof countries in Latin American and theCaribbean. The nomenclature “Hispanic”was invented by the U.S. Census Bureau.So although there is some understandingof cultural and linguistic commonalityamong all Spanish speakers in Spainand the Americas, it is not nearly as welldefined as the African American racial/ethnic identity or the Italian-Americanethnic/national identity, for example.Arlene Dávila has argued that in bothmarketing research and political polling,the nuanced and varied identities ofLatin@s tend to become subsumed tobroader narratives that ascribe desiredcharacteristics to the entire group, whitewashingmany internal differences. Thesenarratives highlight attributes suitableto whatever argument is being made ina given situation. If one is promoting thevalue of marketing to Latin@s on Spanishlanguagemedia, the distinction betweenbeing Spanish-speaking and being Latin@is overlooke d even though less than halfof U.S. Latin@s understand Spanish orare Spanish language-dominant. If one ischampioning the size of the U.S. Latin@market, distinctions based on immigration,language, national origin, income,education or geographic location areoverlooked even while differences in identificationas Latino vary widely among allthese groups. In the political arena, whenemphasizing conservative values, theCatholic heritage is assumed to influenceall Latin@s although many long ago convertedto other religions such as Seventh-Day Adventism or are not religious at all.When arguing that Latin@s are a naturalDemocrat constituency, a different set ofcharacteristics are emphasized.So how can Republicans attract theLatin@ vote? Voters look beyond specificcandidates and policies to the generaltone of a campaign and a party. In recentyears, the debate on immigration hasturned increasingly vicious. States suchas Arizona and Alabama have passedvindictive laws. Politicians, public figuressuch as Rush Limbaugh and presidentialcandidates have competed to be seen asmore implacably hostile to Latin@s thantheir rivals under the guise of protectingthe nation from undocumented immigrants.Even Latin@s not directly affectedby these laws and debates feel profoundlyimpacted by such hostile rhetoric. Thelack of any visible opposition to thisbigotry and the racial homogeneity of theRepublican Party have made it a very hardsell for Latin@s. This is not likely to changeeasily.Democrats cannot take Latin@s forgranted either. President Obama’s support12

for the Dream Act came only duringhis re-election year. His administrationdeports far more people annually thanGeorge Bush’s ever did. Latin@ presidentialappointments have been few and farbetween. There is a substantial number ofsocially conservative Latin@s who, giventhe right set of circumstances, could bepersuaded to vote Republican.U.S. Latin@s are best seen as extraordinarilydiverse and rapidly changing groupsthat are keenly aware of how they are perceivedand indeed misunderstood by thebroader society. No party or politician canconvince them to vote against their owninterests on any sustainable basis.For an expanded version of this essay,including references, visit us online:quepasa.osu.edu.© 2012 Lalo Alcarazwww.quepasa.osu.edu Spring Semester 2013 13

Disfrutando y TrabajandoLSA BallThe Latino Students Association held their second annualformal ball on February 23 at the Hale Black Cultural Center.Revelers enjoyed a red carpet experience followed by anevening of music, dancing, food, and a special dessert table.

Digital Art ExibitionColumbus-based, new media artist Florence Gouvrit-Montañoshared techniques for creating multimedia projects duringa three-week LASER workshop. Students’ interactive digitalprojects were featured in an exhibit at the Multicultural Center.PHOTO BY INDRA LEYVAPHOTO BY INDRA LEYVALatino Urbanism: Defining a Cultural Urban FormThis event, featuring Professor Jesus Lara of the Knowlton Schoolof Architecture and James Rojas, Co-Founder, Latino UrbanForum, highlighted an emerging approach to urban developmentthat responds to Latino lifestyles, cultural preferences, andeconomic needs. Here, workshop participants enjoy creatingtheir own urban landscape.www.quepasa.osu.edu Spring Semester 2013 15

Creative Corner© 2012 Indra Leyva, "Walking Pies"16

Flight and DreamPoem by Mauricio EspinozaIllustration by Jordan EspinozaAn airplanea kitea butterflysoar above my daughter’s headas she runs around the garden of autumns and leaves.She lost sight of the distant plane.She let go of the kite’s rope.She only wants to chase the butterfly that always flutters justinches from her hands.Later, as the sun sets and the air turns cold,she looks at the garden through her windowand recalls the memoryof a planea kitea butterflysoaring in perfect synchrony,one higher than the other,but always higher than the highest effort of her tiny hands.An airplanea kitea butterflywill visit my daughter’s dreams tonight.In the twilight she will seek them with her hands,she will soar with thembeyond the autumns and the leaves,as she dreams the dream of a girlwho wanted to be a butterfly.© 2013 Jordan Espinoza, "Flight and Dream"

Northern In-HospitalityNAFTA’s Effect on Sex Trafficking in the AmericasBy Colleen Durfee, Junior, Department of Geography; Department of Spanish and PortugueseRelations between the United States andLatin America affect every aspect of LatinAmerican and United States citizens’ lives, afact enhanced by the increasing migrationof peoples and the expansion of neo-liberalmarkets between these countries. Arguably,past and present relationships betweenLatin America and the United States, specificallywith trade agreements that link thetwo regions, have been an axis of leverageto exercise political and economic control,and may be connected to the sex tradeof women and children throughout theUnited States. So how might foreign policytoward Latin America change such thatpeople may survive in their countries oforigin without being pushed or pulled out?How can the economic, social, and politicalinequalities of Latino Americans at homebe mitigated so as to diminish the risks ofimmigration to the United States?These loaded questions have no clearanswer, but the sex-trafficking industry isthe most common and fastest growing formof slavery in the world today. The U.S. CIAestimates that about 50,000 people are traffickedinto the United States annually andof those, 15,000 are Latin American womenand children. An answer to these questionsis pertinent to stopping inhumane treatmentof these women and children. Theaverage age of a sex-slave in the world is12 to 14 years old. They are abused androbbed of the security and intimacy that wehold dear. Sex trafficking is a manipulativeprocess that preys on the young, especiallywomen and girls, and is unfortunately theonly way for some to migrate from one areato another. The problems Latin Americansface when trying to immigrate to the UnitedStates increases illegal immigration throughunregulated, exploitative, and dangerousmeans and strengthens the power andinfluence of the sex-trafficking industry.This informal economy through humantrafficking is partially perpetuated throughthe United States’ employment of neo-liberalpolicies regarding trade. These policiesintend to “promote economic growth byspurring competition in domestic marketsand promoting investment from bothdomestic and foreign sources” say GaryClyde Hufbauer and Jeffrey J. Schott intheir article, “NAFTA Revisited:Achievements and Challenges.”However, the subsequenteffects of NAFTA have inducedmass migration to small bordertowns in northern Mexico,called maquiladoras. Thesetowns are pressured to expandto contain large populations,creating an environment ofresource scarcity that drives upthe cost of living. Many ruralfamilies once grew their ownfood but the agri-businesspropelled by NAFTA made itimpossible for them to supportthemselves or sell their productbecause the U.S. crop is muchcheaper. As the Mexican agriculturaleconomy is hollowed out, moreand more Mexicans move across the borderundocumented. This is just one example ofhow a family in Mexico finds it worth the riskof migrating to the United States to supporttheir family.The workers in these border factories setup by free trade agreements are subject tocontaminated water, environmental degradation,lead poisoning, gas poisoning, andmore. These hazards lead to early death,infertility, and cancer. The transnationalcorporations will outlast any legal appealfor damage compensation or severancepay after they outsource to East Asian areas,leaving the Mexican populations withtheir hands bound and no course of actiontoward justice or equality. All of thesefactors lead to the push and pull effect thatcontributes to dangerous labor migrationacross a highly militarized border.The defense budget for border regulationand maintenance has ceased to beofficially reported for after 2002 when itreached 2.1 billion per year. However, theestimated cost now surpasses 10 billionper year, post-2010. Fewer people haveattempted crossing the border due to thehigher risk involved in crossing. The effectof a highly militarized border is to forcecrossing to occur through mountains ordeserts where death from extreme weatherand temperature is high. Many scholarsargue that this kind of border has theopposite desired effect on immigration tothe United States because once immigrantsenter; they do not want to leave. Previouslywith more fluid borders there were lessdeaths and less permanent residents inUnited States territory resulting fromborder crossings to and form Mexico andthe United States.There are both known and unknowncontributors to the proliferation of thedangers in immigration and exposure tohuman trafficking in the United States. TheUS holds much of the responsibility of theincreased violence resulting from foreignpolicy and free trade agreements with itsneighbors to the South. The effects of neoliberalismon the countries that bare thebrunt of the capitalist forces result in constantlycompeting corporate and privateforces for lower prices and higher profits.It takes no effort to see why maquiladoreshave thrived and caused suffering in thewake of consumer practices. America hasmade a mess by marginalizing billionsof people through NAFTA based on theneed to perpetuate an economic, capitalhegemony. Unfortunately, an entire cultureof exploitation has manifested in thehuman trafficking, slavery, and the agriculturaland industrial sectors of the US’ssouthern and Mexico’s northern states.For Colleen Durfee’s full essay with citationsvisit us on line: quepasa.osu.edu.www.quepasa.osu.edu Spring Semester 2013 19

Into the OceanCaring for Marine Life Leads Michael Flores to Octopus Intelligence ResearchBy Yolanda Zepeda, Office of Diversity and InclusionPHOTO PROVIDED BY MICHAEL FLORESAre you smarter than an octopus?Michael Flores spent a summer finding out.A fourth-year student majoring in marinescience in the School of Environment andNatural Resources—Fisheries Science,Michael spent the summer of 2011 on thebeach in South Padre Island, Texas. Hewasn’t playing volleyball or working on histan. Michael was building complex mazesand training a veined Indonesian octopusnamed JD in a series of puzzles and gamesdesigned to test octopus intelligence.Michael interned at the South PadreIsland Dolphin Research and Sea lifeNature Center, a non-profit organizationdedicated to educating the public aboutthe bottlenose dolphins native to the Gulfof Mexico. The Center features marineanimals native to the area including livefish, starfish, crabs, octopus, and snails.Originally an unpaid intern at the Center,Michael fed and cared for the animals. “I’vealways loved the ocean,” he says, “and Ihave always known that I wanted to spendmy life doing something related to marinelife.”For his octopus intelligence research,Michael ordered two small, Indonesianveined octopi after unsuccessful attemptsto trap local specimens. As it turned out,they were small and not well suited forthe mazes. Then one day a child snaggeda three-foot veined octopus while fishing.Michael retrieved it and named him JD.Soon he and JD would begin a dailyregimen that included feeding, hoursworking with puzzles and mazes, andsharing an evening of television at theCenter. Michael laughs as he recalls howJD warmed up to him over time, movingacross the tank to be nearer to Michael asthey viewed their favorite shows, “JD wasgreat, he even climbed out of his tank andsat on the top, kicking back and watchingTV with me.”JD’s intelligence tests involved beingplaced into a six-foot maze made ofmovable, silicon walls, with a live crab“prize” at the end of the maze. The trialsdemanded learning on both JD’s andon Michael’s part. For instance, in earlydesigns, the crab climbed out of the box atthe end of the maze and approached theoctopus, essentially helping JD to solve thepuzzle and speeding up his own demise.Michael adapted the design to contain thecrab, but then JD learned how to grasp andpull down the walls, destroying the mazeto get his prize. “Over the weeks, I builtmazes, and JD destroyed them. He is smartand surprisingly strong.”Caring for JD and the other marine lifeat the Center didn’t involve merely shakinga can of Tetra over their tanks. Since theoctopus refused anything but live food,Michael began and ended his days wadingwaist-deep in the gulf to catch small fish,shrimp, and crabs. He describes beingsomewhat unnerved “as I stood there inthe evenings with the sun going down, inwater up to my waist, as I watched the finsof the blacktip sharks that were commonto the area glide back and forth in thedistance. It was eerie.”He also collected other memorableexperiences like the birth of sea horses.“We had been watching our seahorse fordays waiting for it to give birth,” Michaelrecalls. “One day, we noticed that the waterwas really cloudy, so my assistant turnedup the filter pump. The water wasn’tgetting clearer and when we investigated,we noticed that the seahorse had givenbirth. Unfortunately, many of the fry werestuck to the filter!” Michael describes howhe and his assistant spent the better partof that day painstakingly removing thetiny, newborn seahorses from the tank filterwith a pair of tweezers.Eventually, Michael’s unpaid internshipled to a paid position as manager of theCenter, carrying with it responsibility formaintenance of the Center and care of themarine life. With room and board providedby the Center’s director, the internshipproved not only intellectually enriching butfinancially rewarding as well. Michael alsotook advantage of the chance to refreshhis Spanish language skills weakened fromfour years of disuse in Ohio, as he pledgedto speak only Spanish with his assistantwho spoke little English. The assistant waspatient with Michael’s rusty Spanish, as hehimself struggled with his own pledge tospeak only English.Reflecting on his summer at PadreIsland, Michael talks about it being oneof the best experiences ever. When hereturned to Columbus at the end of thesummer, he continued to engage inresearch as a research assistant with theOSU Fresh Water Mussel Facility. With oneyear of school remaining, Michael is excitedto begin a career in marine science and hasno doubts about achieving his dream. Buthis academic journey has not been withoutchallenges.As a high school student in San Juan,Texas, Michael didn’t aspire to attendcollege. Although he was an honorsstudent and had completed a number ofcollege courses in high school, Michaeladmits, “I never really believed that acollege education was for me. I was justgoing to graduate from school and get ajob.” His high school counselor recognizedMichael’s talent, prompting him to applyfor college admission. Under the Texas TopTen Percent plan, Michael was admitted toany state college of his choice, and receivedfull scholarship offers from several schoolsincluding the University of Texas.Enter Maria Sanchez, academic coordinatorfrom Ohio State University’s Office ofMinority Affairs (now the Office of Diversityand Inclusion). Maria visited Michael’shigh school, and her enthusiasm about theofferings of Ohio State was persuasive. Ascholarship offer sealed the deal. The onlyobstacle standing between Michael andhis Buckeye adventure was his family. Like20

Enamored with RadioWOSU Internship Fosters a Lifelong LoveBy Leticia Wiggins, PhD Student, Department of HistoryRadio can establish a deeply personalconnection even as it reaches out to awidespread audience. An understandingof its paradoxical nature drives my loveof radio and is the motivation behind thework I do for “All Sides with Ann Fisher,” atthe NPR affiliated WOSU.National Public Radio has always beenin my life, but I first felt a strong connectionto radio programming on my 12thbirthday. That morning, as I tied myshoes with clumsy bunny loops readyingfor school, my mother phoned a localoldies radio station with a request to play“American Pie”—a song I was ridiculouslyand inexplicably enamored with—for “adaughter on her birthday.” The DJ admittedMclean’s opus might be too long to addto the playlist, but he would see what hecould do. Then, sitting with my legs up onthe school bus seat, I waited, listened, andhoped I would hear the song.Propitiously, the bus driver loved “Oldies102.1” as much as my mother. Sitting in thefront of the bus and halfway to school, Ifinally heard a familiar, folksy voice on theradio begin, “A long, long time ago….” Asthe entirety of Don Mclean’s American Pieplayed over the radio, I had an epiphany.The song was playing for me, yet othersheard it too. There was a kind of magicthere. That was when I went from appreciatingradio to loving it.Years later, as a junior at Ohio State, Iwas excited to start an internshipwith WOSU. The productionsinternship for “All Sides”at radio WOSU covers topicsranging from the specifics ofthe Columbus communityand Central Ohio to largernational and global issues. Iremember my initial nervousinterview and eventual elationat being accepted for the internposition. As a history and comparativestudies major, I hadno journalistic background,but I did have a love for discussionsof public policy, myadopted city of Columbus,and the bearded NPR “Talk ofThe Nation” host Neal Conan.The position involved research for futureshows and correspondence with potentialguests. They needed someone to dig uparticles relating to daily discussion topics.As I loved both research and working withpeople, I knew this was something I couldtackle. I still remember my first task—looking up the environmental impact ofAsian Carp in the Great Lakes. They aregenerally horrible creatures.Over time, the nature of the internshipchanged. A more developed understandingof the show’s production came with involvingmyself in the phone screening process,podcast editing, and various attempts atscript writing. In addition to the developmentof the intern’s tasks, the nature ofthe show was changing. An increase in thenumber of guests and more diverse rangeof topics drove the show to focus on “AllSides” of the issues. Representation andconsideration of multiple facets influencedthis talk program’s dialogue; and this ishow the subject of human diversity findsitself at WOSU.“All Sides” evidenced its attention todiversity when addressing the qualityof programming from the daily newsmeetings to the planning of upcomingshows. The underlying question duringthese meetings was “what are peopletalking about?” This attention to thegreater community—to the issues thatreally matter to people—remains at theheart of what “All Sides” tries to accomplish.Even so, at times it is necessary to considerwhat people are not talking about and lookto what people should consider.In this vein, “All Sides” works to inviteguests to the program who range from thenationally acclaimed to up-and-cominglocal personalities. During my time at thestation, I have been awestruck over themany encounters with our guests. In thepast three years I’ve had the opportunity tospeak with Bexley native, Josh Radnor (starof How I Met your Mother), political junkyKen Rudin, Hustler magazine creator LarryFlynt, and astrophysicist Neil deGrasseTyson. This is just a sampling of thevarious personalities who have gracedthe program. Whether one is a sciencenerd, lover of pop culture, or even an AsianCarp enthusiast, there is undoubtedly an“All Sides” show of interest.This again speaks to the show’s abilityto address a broad audience with diverseinterests. Engaging in topics related toscience, literature, politics, and transnationalissues endows “All Sides” with avariety of followers who can phone inand participate by lending their variousopinions to the program. The show isinherently committed to diversity, becauseColumbus is diverse. Additionally, the staffand individuals who work for “All Sides,” andat WOSU are wonderful individuals committedto educating the broader publicand reporting current issues in an accessiblemanner. Host, Ann Fisher, is genuinelydevoted to providing information andtransformative stories to her listenership. Inturn, the producer Michael DeBonis, associateproducer Amy Juravich, and studentproduction assistants Corinne Gleckler,Karam Sheban, and Rose Zhou provide ateam committed to providing quality journalismand programming every work-dayfrom 10-Noon. Additionally, all membersof Classical 101, the WOSU newsroom,and the many technical geniuses, providea genuinely enjoyable daily work environment.Although I have transitioned froman undergraduate daily intern to a oncea-weekgraduate student volunteer, I stillfeel welcomed and am excited to be partof WOSU.22

Marga Gomez2013 Q-Pid Comedian Draws from Life Experience to Fuel PerformancesBy Anthony Wiggins, ¿Qué Pasa OSU? Staff Writer and Junior, Center for Life Sciences EducationThe Ohio State University was treatedto an energetic performance by comedianMarga Gomez for this year’s Student LifeMulticultural Center Q-Pid Comedy & DanceExtravaganza on February 15 th . The SanFrancisco based Gomez delivered materialon politics, current events, LGBT issues,and her childhood, during her show inthe Ohio Union Performance Hall. In aninterview earlier that day, Gomez sharedinsights into what inspires her, where shedraws her material, and how she has foundher niche as a successful Latina and lesbianentertainer.Gomez found herself drawn to theentertainment industry by witnessing herparents perform in New York. “My dad wasa comedian, and my mother was a dancer,and they were both entertainers in the Latincommunity. They worked with people likeTito Puente and Celia Cruz in their shows,”says Gomez. With a Puerto Rican mother andCuban father, Gomez observed a diverseaudience that was very much drawn to theshows of her parents. She recalls, “My fathercould always make people laugh, and hemade them happy. Times were tough thenand people were working really hard, somehad even just come to the United States.The one thing they had to live for was togo to those shows that my father producedand performed in every week.”It was a move to California that wouldultimately establish Gomez as a prominentLatina comedian. In San Francisco, shefound a diverse audience that appreciatedthe high flying comedy Gomez delivers:“When I was twenty, I ended up moving toSan Francisco and found myself performingin comedy and theatre for an audiencethat’s gay and straight…diverse and unconventional,”Gomez recalls. “I discovered thatI could be an artist and that there was anaudience that could support me. I’m fortunateand lucky enough to be doing this foralmost 30 years.”Gomez draws on her life experiencesand current events to fuel her currentroutines. With two areas of focus (solo showplays and stand-up routines) she can utilizethe two mediums differently to achieveher desired dramatic effect. Her solo showstend to showcase more material from herpersonal life. She explains, “A lot of thosetend to deal with my childhood and myfamily, so they are usually comic, but alsomore storytelling drawn from my life. In aplay you can really go into deep stuff aboutyourself, which is different than my comedyperformances.” With her stand-up routines,Gomez tries to identify a common groundwith the audience to create a connection:“Stand-up routines could be my life, but it’smostly events. The best way to go aboutcomedy is to be as relatable to the audienceas possible.”As an up and coming entertainer,Gomez overcame different obstacles thatchallenged her sexuality and ethnicity. “Thehardest one was to come out as a lesbian,”she recalls, “When I started in the 80s I wenta year where I never said I was gay. But soonI just started to be honest and mentioningit aloud, but that was still probably themost frustrating thing for me.” Even thoughGomez has become a prominent Latina performer,she continues to see the unequalopportunities that Latinos are afforded,especially in show business. “It’s still verymarginal and unequal, the opportunitiesthat Latino people get say, in Hollywood.There just aren’t a lot of parts written for us.There are a lot of Latinos who could and arebeing cast into roles, but we are always thedark, sinister, or even nanny roles. ”Gomez does offer advice to Latinos whomay face similar experiences: “Anyone whowants to pursue the work that I’ve done—the acting in films, acting in theatre, andacting in comedy clubs—should really focuson one aspect first. And first and foremost,you have to love it. If you don’t love it withone hundred percent of your heart andmind, there’s really no point in doing it.”Gomez points out that one must be passionateabout their discipline, because it canbe difficult to make a living in the entertainmentindustry. “More than likely, you aren’tgoing to get rich and famous, but you couldmaking a living at this! It takes a lot of dedication,and sometimes it’s very hard to putso much focus and energy into becoming aperforming artist and still having a life, andit’s important to have both. It’s importantto remember that you’re a human being,because if you’re not a complete humanbeing then you’re going to be a boring performeror writer. The more you have in yourown bank of experiences and joy and pain,the better an artist you will be.”The Q-Pid Comedy and Dance Extravaganzawas presented by The Student LifeMulticultural Center in partnership withLASER and DISCO.www.quepasa.osu.edu Spring Semester 2013 23

Arroz con LecheAn Interview with Children’s Book Author/Illustrator Lulu DelacreBy Verónica Betancourt, PhD Student, Arts Administration, Education, and PolicyLatino children’s literature has flourishedover the last three decades. In this interviewwith my mother, author/illustratorLulu Delacre, we discuss her work and thefield since the 1980s. Born and raised inPuerto Rico, Delacre began publishingbooks inspired by her Latino heritage withArroz con Leche: Popular Songs and Rhymesfrom Latin America. The way she tells it, sheneeded a book to use to sing me to sleep;since that moment in the nursery, her publicationshave spanned from picture booksto young adult novels and explored thediversity of Latinidad as lived in the U.S. andLatin America.VB: How did you pitch your idea to do apicture book focused on Latino children’ssongs and games?LD: Back in 1987 I had already authoredseveral titles with Scholastic, Inc. and had agood relationship with my editor. Arroz conLeche: Popular Songs and Rhymes from LatinAmerica was the first of a series of books thatcelebrate my mother language and culturalheritage. In defending my proposal over thephone, not only did I speak with passionand conviction about the need for a Latinoequivalent of Mother Goose Rhymes, butI also sang every single song in the collection—addingliteral translations along theway. It was unfair that none of my childhoodrhymes had been published in a picturebook format while hundreds ofillustrated versions of MotherGoose Rhymes were availableto the mainstream market. Ittook a visionary editor, and ahouse that looked into the percentageof Latino children inthe public schools at the time,to publish my title.VB: What was the Latino children’sbook community likewhen you started publishing?LD: There were a few Latinoauthors dispersed throughoutthe States, but no organizationor coalition where I could meetthem. That said, two encouraginginstances stand out in my memory. Thefirst came in the mail. It was an unexpectedpackage from Nicholasa Mohr with words ofpraise for my work. The second happened ata panel of authors at the Virginia HamiltonConference; I was invited to participatealong with Arnold Adoff and Ashley Bryan.A bit intimidated by their stature, I realizedthat the best I could do was to speak fromthe heart. So I began my talk with a songfrom Arroz con Leche. The reward came atthe end when Ashley Bryan looked at metenderly and whispered, “Keep on singing.”VB: How have you experienced the growthof Latino children’s literature?LD: I think it’s fabulous that we nowhave many more and varied voices. Thisallows room for choice among readers.Government funds for programs throughthe 1988 amendment to the BilingualEducation Act, and long awaited recognitionhave increased the interest in this literature,prompting larger houses to jointhe efforts of smaller and dedicated multiculturalpublishers like Children’s BookPress and Lee & Low Books. In the 1990sThe Américas Award from the Consortiumof Latin American Studies Program, and theAmerican Library Association Pura BelpréAward were established. For the first time,major awards recognized quality children’sliterature written for/by Latinos.VB: What do you consider when creatingLatino characters?LD: All my characters are first and foremosthuman, behaving according to their personalities.What makes them Latino is thattheir cultural upbringing may very well playa role in their reaction to a situation. I striveto create characters and stories that dealwith universal themes in childhood whilestill being intrinsically Latino.In recent years I have become interestedin the trials of young Latinos growing upin the United States, in part because ofthe stories I’ve witnessed and heard fromfriends, acquaintances, and schoolchildren.For example, I set Arrorró mi niño: LatinoLullabies and Gentle Games in the continentalU.S. in part because I wanted to dispelthe misconception that all Latinos in theUSA are brown skinned and only work inthe fields. The illustrations show diverseLatinos of many shades and settings likethe public library or art museum.VB: What do you find most encouraging inthe field of Latino children’s literature now?LD: The advent of the internet has openedup channels of communication that did notexist before. Blogs like TheLatinoAuthor.com or Pat Mora’s Bookjoy make Latinotitles accessible to parents and educatorsthat can look for them. It is noteworthy thatmany more voices have joined the chorusof Latino authors and illustrators. Despitethis growth, the efforts by major publishersto acquire manuscripts ebb and flow. Bighouses expect very strong sales in the firstyear and this may not be always the casewith Latino literature since it tends to takelonger to reach its intended audience. Weneed to find ways to publicize Latino literaturebroadly so it becomes as accessible asmainstream literature. In my view it is ripefor the limelight.For more information on Lulu Delacre andher work please visit www.luludelacre.co24

Noticias¿Qué Pasa, OSU? Recognizes Excellence at OSUPUBLICATIONSAldama, Frederick Luis. The Routledge Concise History of Latino/aLiterature. London & New York: Routledge, 2012.Fernandez, Lilia. Brown in the Windy City: Mexicans and Puerto Ricansin Postwar Chicago, Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2012.Cook, Edward A. and Jesus J. Lara, eds. Remaking Metropolis: GlobalChallenges of the Urban Landscape. New York: Routledge, 2012.Dr. Ana Elena Puga, Assistant professor in the Department ofTheatre, has been selected as a 2013-2014 Fulbright Scholar for herresearch on dramatic strategies in artistic and social performancesfeaturing undocumented migrants – especially women and children– from Latin America.Theresa Rojas was nominated for the Graduate School’s 2013Graduate Associate Teaching Award for outstanding teaching as agraduate student.Trigo, Abril. Crisis y transfiguración de los estudios culturales latinoamericanos.Santiago: Editorial Cuarto Propio, 2012.Lara, Jesus, ed. Special Issue of Journal of Urbanism, Latino Urbanism:Placemaking in 21 st Century American Cities. 5.2-3. Routledge, 2012.AWARDS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTSAmber Seira received the 2013 Outstanding Senior Award. Thisaward recognizes less than 1% of graduating seniors who excel inleadership, service, and scholarship throughout their tenure at OSU.Amber Seira, Anthony Wiggins, and Melissa Zepeda each earnedthe 2013 Mentee Award for Scholarly Success (MASS) sponsored byLASER.Juan Abel was named the Recreation and Physical Activity Center’s“January Star of the Month” for his fitness journey.Gonzalo Adriazola, Ohio State Marion Homecoming King, is featuredon several billboards promoting Ohio State in the Marion, Ohio area.Gustavo Carlos was awarded $1,000 for best essay in the SexualityStudies Essay Scholarship Competition for his discussion of how hispersonal experiences with sexual and gender identity have influencedhis decision to work for positive change.Stephany Chicaiza presented her research on small peptide modelsat the 2013 Denman Forum.Liane Davila-Martin, a sophomore biology major at OSU Newark,has been awarded the 2013 Leon del Carrill and Moreno Scholarship.Read her profile at newark.osu.edu/Pages/StudentSpotlight.aspxGrace Tellez won the 2013 LASER Award for Best Undergraduate Essayin Latino/a Studies (ABUELo/aS) for her paper “Creando machismo:Masculinidad dominicana en The Brief, Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao.”Delia Fernandez and Danielle Olden each received the 2013 LASERGraduate Achievement for Latino/a Studies Award (GALaS)ESPAÑOL PARA HISPANOHABLANTESSpanish for Heritage SpeakersIn response to the number of native and heritage speakers of Spanishcontinues at the Ohio State University, the Department of Spanishand Portuguese will be offering Spanish for Heritage Speakers. Thecourse gives students the opportunity to expand their existing proficiencyand to develop their reading and writing skills. This courseis designed to build on the language base students already possess.Emphasis will be placed on appropriate writing for academic and professionalsettings.Haley De Leon was awarded the 2013 Stubner Scholarship sponsoredby the University-wide Council of Hispanic Organizations andthe Multicultural Center.Indra Leyva is the inaugural recipient of the Office of Diversity andInclusion’s Ruth C. Bailey Award for Multicultural Engagement.Claudius Mbemba is the runner-up for the 2013 LASER Award forBest Undergraduate Essay in Latino/a Studies (ABUELo/aS) for hispaper “The Conflict between Memory and Storytelling.”Nicole Nieto and Indra Leyva were recognized at the annual SPHINXand Mortar Board Faculty and Staff Reception. The event was hostedby the Ohio State University Alumni Association, Inc. and the Officeof Academic Affairs to recognize faculty and staff who have made adifference in the college experiences of senior students.Spanish for Heritage Speakers will be offered Autumn, 2013 on Tuesdaysand Thursdays from 2:20 to 3:40 p.m. For more information, contact Dr.Elena Foulis via email: foulis.5@osu.eduCongratulationsNORMAND CABAN!Normand, the Director of Community Outreach andEngagement for the Office of Diversity and Inclusion,will retire in May after 35 years of service to the OhioState University. His expansive career includes outreach,diversity, and international education. We wish him well!PHOTO FROM ¿QUÉ PASA, OSU? ARCHIVEwww.quepasa.osu.edu

Autumn 2012 GraduatesAssociate's DegreesBachelor’s Degrees (continued)Name Citizen Degree MajorJosh M Finn USA AA Cons. & Fam. Financial Svcs.Bachelor’s DegreesName Citizen Degree MajorAbdiel E Solis PAN BS International Business Admin.Enrique A Terrones USA BS Civil EngineeringEfrain Vazquez USA BS Chemical EngineeringNicholas E Villalba USA BS Animal SciencesAutumn 2012 GraduatesName Citizen Degree MajorRaquel Aguado Izquierdo ESP BA CommunicationAlexander J Aguirre USA BA JapaneseMateus Ashton USA BA PsychologyKierstin J Barney USA BA CommunicationBrittani Blazak USA BA PsychologyBeatriz Carricaburu USA BA Political ScienceOlivia M Cora USA BA PsychologyJose L Cruz USA BA SpanishYolanda J Gelo USA BA SociologyAudrey L Hanson USA BA Speech and Hearing ScienceAdam E Jimenez USA BA CommunicationJoshua S Miera USA BA International StudiesJared E Newman USA BA SpanishJames M Ordonez USA BA EnglishCarolina Peguero USA BA JournalismRaudo R Pena USA BA CriminologyMakenzie V Frank USA BFA ArtMarissa L Jamez USA BFA Animal SciencesYousef Alghothani USA BS BiologyMary J Batista USA BS Cons. & Fam. Financial Svcs.Nicole E Bayona USA BS Chemical EngineeringKarina M Bezerra USA BS Operations ManagementSara H Bonilla-Larsen USA BS TheatreJoshua E Breto USA BS City and Regional PlanningJoshua M Cano USA BS Food Science and NutritionMarcos O Cruz USA BS MicrobiologyHilary G Deason USA BS Hospitality ManagementMichael Falter USA BS Sport and Leisure StudiesOscar Flores MEX BS Computer Science and Engr.Mara C Fuentes USA BS ChemistryKelli B Galloway USA BS Animal SciencesDavid Gantos USA BS AccountingTony G Herasme USA BS Hospitality ManagementMaria C Hernandez COL BS Logistics ManagementMeagan M Matias USA BS Civil EngineeringKayla M Nedza USA BS Sport and Leisure StudiesNicholas J Pagan USA BS BiochemistryRica M Ramirez USA BS Fashion and Retail StudiesSebastian A Rivas USA BS Sport and Leisure StudiesDiana C Rivera-Rodriguez USA BS Political ScienceJuan A Roman USA BS Computer Sci. & EngineeringMatthew R Salas USA BS Cons. & Fam. Financial Svcs.Rebekah B Sanchez-Hodge USA BS Animal SciencesMichael R Smith USA BS Cons. & Fam. Financial Svcs.Master's DegreesName Citizen Degree MajorCarmelo A Bazaco ESP MA Spanish & PortugueseCarlos H Bonilla COL MS Aero. & Astronautical Engr.Santiago Cadavid Restrepo COL MS Industrial & Systems Engr.Maria V Cepeda ECU MS Plant PathologyLaurie R Dynes USA MS Occupational TherapyMaria T Eaton USA MS Teaching & LearningMariantonieta Gutierrez Soto VEN MS Civil EngineeringMonica E Lindgren USA MA PsychologyThiago V Marzagao BRA MA Political ScienceVittorio E Merola SWE MA Political ScienceRobert J Nava USA MS Labor and Human ResourcesLumarie Perez-Guzman USA MS Env. & Natural ResourcesMelissa Pizarro Aguilar CRI MS Industrial & Systems Engr.David A Ramirez Cadavid COL MS Food, Agr. & Biological Engr.Mario A Ramos Veloza COL MA EconomicsGina M Shell USA MS Teaching & LearningHugo A Taracena Pinzon GTM MS Industrial & Systems Engr.Salvador Zamora USA MBOE Business Op. ExcellenceDoctoral DegreesName Citizen Degree MajorLina X Aguirre COL PHD Spanish & PortugueseMichael J Alarid USA PHD HistoryPatricia Casal USA PHD Biomedical EngineeringJuan Castano Rojas COL PHD Food, Agr. & Biological Engr.Maria Del Pilar Chamorro ESP PHD Spanish & PortugueseAngelo L Cintron USA PHARMD PharmacyHector L Diaz USA PHD Animal SciencesLizanel Feliciano USA PHD Food Science and TechnologyAlejandra Ferrer VEN PHD MusicFrank J Kanayet COL PHD PsychologyStephen Levas USA PHD Geological SciencesLuis J Obregon USA DMA MusicSamuel Rivera USA PHD Electrical EngineeringJennifer R Soliz USA PHD ChemistryPedro A Vargas-Pinto COL PHD Comp. & Veterinary Med.Allison J Volz USA PHD Teaching & Learning26

Los Guachos TaqueríaExpanded Location Accommodates Bustling Taco BusinessA Bilingual Review by Doug Bush, PhD Candidate, Department of Spanish and Portuguese and Indra Leyva, Intercultural Specialist, Multicultural CenterPHOTO BY INDRA LEYVAWhen we walked into Los Guachos,located in northwest Columbus, our eyeswere immediately drawn to the huge spitof al pastor in the open kitchen. It’s whatLos Guachos is known for; the spit withthe adorning pineapple is even prominentin their logo. Despite its popularityon review sites such as Yelp, Los Guachosis quite easy to overlook—located in anon-descript strip mall on the corner ofGodown and Bethel Roads—I’ve drivenpast the taquería many times in my fiveyears in Columbus without realizing that itwas there. When you go, keep an eye outfor the brightly lit sign for AQUÍ, a moneytransferstore located next door.Los Guachos, un rinconcito de Méxicoen Columbus, abrió sus puertas enGodown y Bethel hace unos años y se hamantenido tan fuerte como el camión quelo originó. Los guachos es famoso por sustacos al pastor, que a diferencia de muchosrestaurantes mexicanos en el área, sonpreparado en el tradicional trompo, con supiña y su cebolla cocinándose a la par de lacarne adobada.Aside from the spit of meat, I wasimmediately struck by how much therestaurant felt like a place at whichI would have eaten when I livedin Mexico. It is simply decoratedwith a few wall-hangings, includingreproductions of Diego Riveraand newspaper clippings, televisions,an open kitchen, and tableswith intricately carved woodenchairs. Many Mexican restaurantsin Columbus attempt to createambiance through use of brightcolors and intricate tile mosaics,but in its simpler approach, LosGuachos ends up far more authenticin its atmosphere.Similar a las taquerías tradicionalesen México, el menú contieneuna variedad de tacos preparadosde diferentes maneras, así comolas tradicionales tortas, quesadillasy burritos. A diferencia deotros lugares la atmósfera es lade una taquería tradicional, consus salsas, limones y chiles preparadosdisponibles en cada mesa.Los comensales hacen su pedidoen la caja situada adyacente a la cocina.Es importante mencionar que no esperenrecibir totopos y salsa como en otroslugares o arroz y frijoles acompañando losplatillos.Fue agradable ver que han expandidoel lugar ya que es un lugar bastante concurrido.Noten que es difícil acomodargrupos grandes, ya que las mesas solopueden sentar cuatro personas.Los Guachos is known for its tacos alpastor, boasting “The best Taco al Pastorin the city,” but for those who don’t eatpork, there are plenty of options. I orderedthree fish tacos and a quesadilla, but therewere a number of dishes with chickenand a several vegetarian options. The fishtacos were excellent—they came well garnished,even if the chipotle salsa toppingwas a bit too picante for my taste. The fishitself tasted fresh and was piping hot, asit should be. On the other hand, the quesadillawas rather ho-hum, and not somethingthat I would recommend except asa side. I had the cheese quesadilla, butthere are plenty of other options, includingpastor, asada, and tripa for those whoare inclined.Sabiendo de antemano que el fuertedel local, decidí pedir unos tacos al pastor.Los tacos son servidos en su forma tradicionalcon su doble tortilla, piña, cilantroy cebolla. Me recordaron a las taquerías dedonde crecí, los tacos son adornados conrebanadas de rábanos y pepinos. Cuandose trata de comer tacos, el secreto esta enlas salsas; Los Guachos ofrece la ya tradicionalsalsa de tomate y una salsa deguajillo así como chiles habaneros marinadosen salsa de soya y cebollas. Tratélos tacos con cada una de las salsas y elúltimo combinando las tres opciones. Parami gusto, la mezcla de las tres fue la mejor,aunque quitaba un poco el sabor de lacarne. Para aquellos que no han tratadoestos tacos, recomiendo que dividan lacarne entre las dos tortillas, esto hará másfácil comerlos. Los Guachos es el lugarperfecto para aquel que este buscando laexperiencia de una taquería mexicana conprecios económicos.Don’t expect to pay a high price forgreat food—the generous tacos are a mere$2 a piece, and the quesadilla was just $1more. After visiting, I can understand whyLos Guachos is so well reviewed online.They offer good food, quick service, anddecent prices. Aside from the expandedlocation on Godown Rd., Los Guachos alsohas a taco truck on at 461 Commerce Sq. inHilltop, in the vicinity of the new casino.Los Guachos TaqueríaLos Guachos Taquería5221 Godown RoadColumbus, OH 43235(614) 538-0211 Rating System:5 chiles = Exceptional4 chiles = Very good3 chiles = Average2 chiles = Poor1 chile = Very poor$$$$$Food Reviewwww.quepasa.osu.edu Spring Semester 2013 27

The Ohio State UniversityStudent Academic Services Building, 3rd Floor281 West Lane AvenueColumbus, OH 43210-1132NONPROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGEPAIDCOLUMBUS, OHIOPERMIT NO. 711Are you interested in contributing to ¿Qué Pasa, OSU?Contact us at quepasa@osu.edufacebook.com/QuePasaOSU@QuePasa_OSUOHIO STATE MARION HOMECOMING KING, GONZALO ADRIAZOLA. PHOTO PROVIDED BY GONZALO ADRIAZOLA.