From The State News…
Posted on October 13, 2009
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CLS students meet with Simon
Multiple deans to lead CLS program
Committee members named for Chicano/Latino Studies
RCLS Rejects Faculty Advisory Committee Until Director Position Is Resolved Group Takes Campaign For Justice Nationwide
Posted on October 8, 2009
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CLS program losing students due to director controversy
Posted on October 1, 2009
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Originally Published: The State News
I graduated from MSU in 2005 with a Bachelor of Arts in social relations and policy with a Chicano/Latino Studies specialization. One of the main reasons I decided to attend MSU was the fact that its Chicano/Latino Studies program carries an immense amount of prestige throughout Michigan, the Midwest and the nation. Such a statement can be validated by the fact that MSU has one of two Chicano/Latino Studies doctoral programs in the world. I currently am completing my Master of Social Work degree at the University of Michigan and have been contemplating returning to MSU to complete my doctoral degree in Chicano/Latino Studies. However, the turmoil that has been generated by unsupportive and incompetent administrative staff ultimately will have a profound impact on my decision.
I think it is despicable what Dean Marietta Baba and Sheila Contreras are doing to students, staff and the Chicano/Latino Studies program. As a student who was labeled “at-risk” upon my acceptance to MSU, I relied on a supportive and rigorous environment to ensure my academic, personal and professional success. The Chicano/Latino Fellows Program provided the mentorship and guidance necessary to navigate through an unfamiliar and, at times, hostile environment. The students and staff that managed the Chicano/Latino Studies program during my tenure at MSU were invaluable to my current success as a student and as a professional.
I recently was informed the Chicano/Latino Fellows Program was eliminated and so were the hopes and dreams of countless of underrepresented students who rely on the mentorship and support of committed staff and mentors to fulfill their academic and professional aspirations.
It is important to understand the critical importance students and progressive staff played in the establishment of the Chicano/Latino Studies program. Their devotion and perseverance to ensure the development and institutionalization of an intellectually rigorous academic specialization and doctoral program cannot be ignored. Baba and Contreras have generated an oppressive and hostile environment that, not only negates this fact, but also seeks to further marginalize students who are requesting a peaceful resolution to their demands. Contreras continuously has ignored the needs and humbled requests of the Chicano/Latino community and their allies and Baba has endorsed this vicious treatment with her actions.
MSU alumni, the University of Michigan Latin Social Work Coalition, and the multitude of concerned students throughout Michigan and our nation fully support the students, faculty and staff at MSU in their pursuit of social justice for the Chicano/Latino Studies program, the Chicano/Latino community and their allies.
Isaias Solis
2005 MSU graduate
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