QVO NEWSLETTER

In This Issue

Message fromDirector

Featured StudentArtist

CEP: A FamilyTradition

CEP Events

Mariachi de EWU

Ballet Folklorico deAztlan

RememberingStudents Lost

Cesar Chavez Week

CEP Community Socials

Save the Date -Upcoming Events

Chicana/o Education Program Students and Staff

Chicano Education Program Winter Quarter 2015

www.ewu.edu/chicanoed chicanoed@ewu.edu

Chicana/o Education Program Community Social

Message from Director Saludos and warm greetings to the EWU community. We at theCEP (Chicana/o Education Program) continue to move forward in building 'community' ties by 'bridging' to students and organizations. CEP bridging involves providing an ample and transformative curriculum that focuses on the intersectionality of class, race, gender, sexuality, and nation from an interdisciplinary perspective grounded in critical thinking and personal, community, and social justice. In addtiion, the CEP is organizing events that provide safe spaces and opportunities to strengthen community relations. For example, the CEP sponsors Community Socials where students can enjoy a delicious homemade Mexixan meal and break bread with friends and new friends. Also, students are informed about the importance of Minoring in the Chicana/o Studies Program and applying for C.A.M.P. (College Assistance Migrant Program). Finally critical information regarding scholarships, classes, and other student services is provided. Everyone is welcome to visit the CEP office anytime, and participate in CEP events in helping us to recruit and retain as many students as possible, particularly those individuals of Chican@/Mexican@/Latin@ descent. Finally, please feel free to invite your families to CEP Community Socials.

Dr. Elisa Facio

Chicana/o Education

Program Faculty & Staff

Front row: Aurelia Murguia, Dr. Elisa Facio, Dr. Norma Cardenas

Back row: Adrian Reyes, Dr. Martin Meraz Garcia

Student Artist

Highlight

My name is Alba Ibarra and I grew up in a small town called Bridgeport WA. I went to community college in Wenatchee. At Wenatche Valley Community College I took first and second paint-ing classes. Drawing has always been my passion and one day I would love to be an art teacher. The paint-ing you see is from a park back in my hometown named Marina. When I was in high school I took a pic-ture of the park and when I was in community college I made this painting. I really like this park, because it brings me memories of my childhood. I used to go swimming every day during the hot days of summer.

CEP: A Family Tradition

Student Spotlight: Elizabeth Alonzo Year: Freshman Hometown: Walla, Walla. WA Favorite Movie: Mean Girls Favorite Quote: “If you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life"

Why did you choose to attend EWU? Because my two older sisters came here & I visited the campus when I was in 3rd grade and I knew I wanted to come here.

What is your major and how did you decide what you wanted to major in? Education, I worked at a Middle school as a tutor and I loved the relationship I had with my mentees.

If you could do anything today, what would you do? Make someone smile

Who in your life has most influenced you? My family, they have been focus in school. My dad went back to college to get his CNA. My family influences me to do better.

What do you do for fun in your free time? I go shopping and relax with my family.

Where do you see yourself 10 years from now? I see myself working as a teacher in Walla Walla.

How has being a member of CAMP or involved with CEP helped you out? CAMP has really helped me with tutoring and classes I struggle with. For example, I am only supposed to come 4 hours but I come more just to do all my homework.

What has been your greatest accomplishment? I would have to say being here because I was not a very good student and many people doubt that I was going to come to college, but now I am here and I proved them wrong.

What organizations, clubs, or activities are you involved in here at EWU? Student Legislative Action Committee and CAMP, and I will be an orientation lead-er this summer for incoming freshman and am very excited about that!

CEP: A Family Tradition

Alumni Spotlight: Jacquelin Alonzo Year graduated: 2013 Hometown: Walla Walla, WA Favorite Movie: Taken 1 & 2. Favorite Quote: “I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed. “Michael Jordan

Why did you choose to attend EWU? I loved the multi cultural aspect the most. Family is an important key in my life and attending EWU was close enough for me to go home (2.5 hours away) whenever I felt home sick.

What was your major while you were at EWU? Psychology. I will be going back to school to get a Master’s in School counseling.

If you could do anything today, what would you do? I would take my children to Disney Land.

Who in your life has most influenced you? It is difficult to pinpoint just one per-son. 1. Would be my parents. I am truly blessed to have been raised by two hard-working individuals. I truly have accomplished so much thanks to them. 2. My chil-dren. Not only do my decisions affect me, but also my children.

What do you do for fun in your free time? I love spending time with my kids. Depending on season, we will find new places to go swimming to going to the mountains to find the steepest hills. My personal free time I enjoy going to the gym.

Where do you see yourself 10 years from now? Good bye student loans! Hello Master’s of school Counseling.

How has being a member of CAMP or involved with CEP helped you out? It really gave me a sense of family away from home. I met several of my close friends through CAMP. I was offered various opportunities to grow professionally.

What has been your greatest accomplishment? Graduating from College with a one year old and almost due with my second child (had my second child 3 weeks after graduating). It took a lot of determination, dedication, and sleepless nights to accomplish 4 years of College. At the age of 23, I have a beautiful fami-ly, house, car, and full time job that I enjoy. I have been blessed and I am thankful every day.

What organizations, clubs, or activities were you involved with here at EWU? When I was attending, I was in the CAMP program, MEChA, Health, Well-ness, and Prevention team. Before having my children I also played soccer.

Chicana/o Education Program Events

From Ferguson to LA On January 22nd, the Race & Culture Studies and the Chicana/o Education brought re-nowned community organizer, scholar, journalist, and Hip-Hop activist, Rosa Clemente to speak to students, faculty, and staff. Rosa’s talk was titled “From Ferguson to LA”, where she spoke of her own heritage and background while ad-dressing the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States as a multiracial female. The event was well attended and Rosa had everyone’s attention as she spoke about the state of our country right now in terms of race relations. The Chicana/o Education Program would love to have her back on campus in the future to continue the discussion.

Chili Queens Dr. Norma Cardenas presented on contemporary issues in feminist research: Queering the Chili Queens. Dr. Cardenas’ presentation drew on historical as well as contemporary representations of the Chili Queens. It allowed the audience to examine racial, gender, and sexual identities from a transnational feminist per-spective. Those in attendance also were treated to a sample of Dr. Cardenas’ own recipe of chili that she brought in especially for the event. It was delicious!

Mosquita Y MariA showing of the of Sundance Film Festival movie Mosquita y Mari was held in Showalter Hall in collaboration with EWU Theatre and Fim Department and Femme Focus. Filmaker Aurora Guerrero was on hand to answer questions after-wards from those in attendance. Dr. Elisha Miranda served as moderator for this most important event.

Mosquita y Mari is a coming of age story that focuses on a tender friendship between two young Chicanas. Yolanda and Mari are growing up in Hungtington Park, Los Angeles and have only known loyalty to one thing: family. Growing up in immigrant households, both girls are expected to prioritize the well-being of their families. Yolanda, an only child, delivers straight A's and the hope of the American Dream while Mari, the eldest, shares economic responsibilities with her undocumented family who scrambles to make ends meet.

When Mari moves in across the street from Yolanda, they maintain their usual life routine, until an accident at school thrusts them in a friendship and into unknown territory. As their friendship grows, a yearning to explore their strange yet beautiful connection surfaces. Lost in their private world of unspoken affection, lingering gazes, and heart-felt confessions of uncertain futures, Yolanda's grades begin to slip while Mari's focus drifts away from her duties at a new job. Mounting pressures at home collide with their new-found connection, forcing them to choose between their obligations to others and staying true to themselves.

New Cultural Clubs on CampusMariachi de EWU This past quarter EWU started a new mariachi group made up primarily of stu-dents at Eastern. Dr. Sheila Woodward, Director of the Music Department ac-quired a grant to purchase brand new instruments for the group and with the help of faculty and community members; the mariachi group has been practicing for upcoming performances. They are scheduled to appear on campus and in the community in the next few months and continue to learn new songs to add to their playlist.

Some members were able to attend the two day Northwest Mariachi Festival in Wenatchee, WA at the end of March to participate in workshops as well as per-form. There were workshops in violin, guitar, guitarron, trumpet, vocal instruction, and in Folklorico. They also got to hear performances from Mariachi Estrellas deChula Vista and Nydia Rojas.

If you would like more information on the mariachi group please contact Dr. Sheila Woodward at 509-359-7073 or swoodward1@ewu.edu.

Ballet Folklorico de Aztlan The EWU MEChA students have united to bring to the Inland Northwest the BalletFolklorico de Aztlán (BFA). The team is energized to continue with one of the most beautiful traditions of Mexico by presenting its romantic music and its colorful costumes reflecting the heart of Mexico. The ballet works and musical pieces reflect various regions and folk music genres of Mexico. This ballet group started with 4 members and has now grown to 10 MEChA members who practice twice weekly to present their regional dances (Bailes Regionales) of Mexico.

This year, the team has supported themselves with donations from performances, funds from Associated Students of EWU, sponsors, and fundraising by all mem-bers.

The Ballet Folklorico de Aztlan has now performed in several events including the 4th Izcalli Calmecac Conference, Day of the Dead celebration, Fiesta Spokane festival, Moses Lake Catholic Church Diversity Fundraiser, and at the charity events at Spokane, WA.

Current members of the Ballet Folklorico de Aztlan are Amy Nuñez, Maria Sala-zar, Maria Zuniga, Glorimar Delgado, Sarahi Gutierrez, Giselle Guino, Jenny Her-nandez.

The team’s success to this point would have not been possible without the help of Crystalena Balderas Lightel, a senior in communication major with a minor in jour-nalism. She began dancing in 2nd grade at the age of seven. She was an instruc-tor to younger aged kids and newer members of the Ballet Folklorico Mexico Lindo and at Big Bend Community College.

The Ballet Folklorico de Aztlan is seeking sponsors, performance opportunities, and male students who would be interested in joining the team. Any contributions or sponsorships are welcome; please contact Crystalena at crysbalde-ras@hotmail.com or Dr. Christina Torres Garcia, advisor of the Ballet Folklorico de Aztlan, at cgarcia1@ewu.edu.

Sorority Remembers and Honors Members Lost The women of Alpha Pi Sigma Sorority, Inc. hosted the Nancy Zepeda & Ashley Gonzales Memorial on February 20th, 2015. The memorial was dedicated to their two fallen sisters who passed away one year ago. Both Zepeda and Gonzales were students at Eastern Washington University that were highly esteemed in their communities. Zepeda was an establisher and the 1st President to serve the chapter at EWU. Gonzales was a member of the EWU Rugby team and was in the Electrical Engineer program.

The memorial included speakers from CEP, CAPS, the students' advisors, and dear friends. Alpha Pi Sigma ended the memorial in a presentation of their 1st Annual Nancy Zepeda & Ashley Gonzales Scholarship fund. The scholarship serves as a lasting memory of their sisters' dedication to academic excellence. This first scholarship was given to Leslie Orozco from Royal City, WA.

Families and members from the community joined the sorority afterwards for a balloon release. If you have any questions in regards to the Nancy Zepeda & Ash-ley Gonzales Memorial or would like to contribute to their annual scholarship, email pi_rep@alphapisigma.org.

Honoring Cesar Chavez at EWU The College Assistance Migrant Program (C.A.M.P.) hosted a week of events on campus to commemorate the life and legacy of Cesar Chavez. Kicking off the week on Monday, March 2nd the Inland Northwest Blood Center was on campus for the annual Cesar Chavez blood drive and bone marrow donor registration event.

Dr. Elisa Facio, Director of the Chicano Education Program presented on the lega-cy of Cesar Chavez as well as the other members of the United Farmworker Movement. Those in attendance were able to hear the philosophy of Cesar Chavez and his work for the cause of farmworker rights. There was also a show-ing of the film Cesar Chavez for the CAMP students and the campus community. Dr. Norma Cardenas moderated the question and answer session that followed.

CEP 2015 Summer CoursesThe CEP will be offering the following courses this summer. Please note the first two courses will be taught online.

1) Introduction to Chicano Culture - June 22nd - August 14th; TIME: TBA -Professor Meraz Garcia2) Chicano History - June 22- July 17th; TIME: TBA - Professor Norma Cardenas

The following class will be taught on campus:

1) Chicana/o Cultural Representation in Film - June 22nd to July 17th: TIME:10:00 AM - 12:20 PM - MTWRF, Senior Hall, Room 101 - Professor Elisa Facio

Course descriptions will be available during the second week of May in our spring newsletter!

Contact Us

For more information about our services and programs

Chicano Education

Program

203 Monroe Hall Cheney, WA 99004

(509) 359-2404

chicanoed@ewu.edu

Visit us on the web at www.ewu.edu/chicanoed

CEP Community Socials The Monroe Hall lounge has been filled with the smell of homemade Mexican food of late as the CEP faculty and staff; with the help of our student workers have served students and friends of the program lunch this quarter, once in February and once in March. The purpose of the gatherings is for students to get to know staff and faculty as well as each other in community.

Each event was well attended and tostadas and posole were on the menu for eve-ryone to enjoy. CEP plans to have another gathering in April with the menu to be decided. Everyone is welcome and the event in March included a group and a family that were visiting EWU, which allowed them to talk to current students about what it is like here at Eastern.

Save the DateMark your calendars for upcoming events celebrating Cinco de Mayo with workshops and programs sponsored by the Chicana/o Education Program.

Events begin on Monday, May 4th with "Cultural College Day", where numerous students from the surrounding Spokane/Cheney area will participate in workshops and lectures focusing on important information regarding Eastern Washington University. We hope that many of our visitors wil become potential EWU Students!

On Tuesday, May 5th, Dr. Elisha Miranda along with Elena Calderon, Stephanie Fuentes, and Dulce Gutierrez will provide one of the most important discussions for Mexican@ and Chican@ communities today; the intersection of t undocumented and queer students. The PRIDE Center has graciously offered their support in the success of this event and will be listed as co-sponsors.

Cinco de Mayo activities culminate on Wednesday, May 6th with a panel/workshop presentation on "Spoken Word", the theme of artivists as CUltural Workers. Various youth and students from throughout eastern Washington organizations and campuses will be invited to participate. If you're practicing some form of Spoken Word, Poetry and /or Performance where no one can hear or see you, now is the time to share your cultureal words of inspiration and wisdom. Also this Cultural Worker's Day will highlight the Ballet Folklorico de Aztlan and Mariachi Aguilas de EWU!

Look for further information via email, the CEP Facebook page, and posters throughout campus. We look forward to seeing you all! No se pierda!