Qué Pasa, OSU?

Volume XVIII
Number 1
Autumn 2010
An Independent, Community-Based Magazine About Latinos at Ohio State
www.quepasa.osu.edu
In This Issue:
Ohio State's Beautiful New Study,
Living, and Playrooms
Life as a Latina Diver at Ohio State
University
Adjusting and Thriving as a Minority
is Key to Your Success
U.S. Economic Policies at Work
in Latin America
Short Story: Hell to Pay
The Life and Legacy
of Sor Juana Inés
de la Cruz

New School Year Brings Fresh Start
By Michael J. Alarid
Esquina del Editor
He that hath no musical instruction is
a child in Music; he that hath no letters is
a child in Learning; he that is untaught is a
child in Life.
— Epictetus (c.A.D. 50–c.A.D. 138),
from The Golden Sayings of Epictetus
Welcome to the 2010-11 school year here
at Ohio State University and to another
year here at ¿Qué Pasa, OSU? For those
who are new to campus, we are so pleased
you have decided to become part of the
Latino community here at OSU. Our role
within the community is to act as an outlet
for Latinos who would not otherwise have
a voice, to be a source of information and
education for the Latino community, and
to foster a sense of what it means to be a
member of this community and an Ohio
State Buckeye. As a community based
publication, and now a product of the
Office of Minority Affairs, this publication
has never been more dedicated to its
mission than it is this year.
Having settled into our new office,
¿Qué Pasa, OSU? continues to change with
the times. Now under the direction of our
new director Normando Caban, and benefiting
from the creative input and hard
work of Professor Jose Cabral and our editorial
board, ¿Qué Pasa, OSU? readers can
trust that our publication is in good hands.
Other changes have occurred as well: we
bid farewell to our outstanding designer
Bruno Ribiero, who leaves to begin his
teaching career, and welcome our new
designer and talented photographer
Emily Strouse.
For students who are reading this
publication for the first time, you enter
OSU at a very exciting juncture: with the
Latino population on the rise throughout
the country, the pressure is on for OSU to
keep pace with the national growth in its
recruiting. With programs like the Morrill
Scholars Program, numerous student
organizations, and the efforts of the Office
of Minority Affairs, Ohio State is making a
bid to keep pace in the Latino market. But
what happens once the students come
to OSU? This first edition is our answer to
that question, and our theme is putting
students first.
Our edition begins with the faculty and
student profiles: in “Brazil Brings Them
Together.” Mauricio Espinoza examines the
careers of professors Lúcia Costigan and
Katherine Borland; while “Actually Being
there is Life-changing” traces the travels
of international affairs scholars to Bolivia,
also by Mauricio Espinoza. In addition,
our center page is dedicated to our new
Hispanic students on move-in day, a pictorial
by our new designer and photographer
Emily Strouse. Our Mi Experiencia
section makes a return with “Life as a
Latina Diver at Ohio State University,” the
account of a collegiate athlete adjusting to
life in Columbus, by Bianca Alvarez; finally,
our Su Opinion section features the article
“Brave New World” by Miguel Guavara,
which highlights a proposed blue print for
how to become more involved and ultimately
make a difference within the Latino
community at OSU.
To help students adjust to OSU, we
offer several articles aimed toward assisting
students as they adjust to the city of
Columbus: In “Your New Home” Francisco
Gómez-Bellengé introduces students to
the latest upgrades at Ohio State, including
the new Student Union, library, and
the RPAC; additionally in “Choosing a
Major” students are advised on how to
approach the most important decision of
their college careers, by Rachel Sana Bria,
Emily Carpenter, and Danielle Whitaker;
finally, Kenny Lopez offers his advice on
housing in “Your First Year on Campus,” a
guide to making the most of your time in
the dormitories.
In addition to advice, ¿Qué Pasa, OSU?
remains dedicated to providing students
with information about opportunities
on and around campus: “One University,
Several Campuses” explores the regional
campus system at OSU and explains the
benefits of attending the OSU satellites;
while “Opportunities for Involvement are
All Around” by Giovana Covarrubias is a
guide to the different Hispanic organizations
on campus that students can become
a part of; and “Coming of Age” explores
how the Office of Minority Affairs and the
services they have to offer have grown
over the years, by Normando Caban.
Seeking to satisfy the intellectual
interests of our readers, we continue
both our history and folklore series; in
“Globalization as History in Argentina,”
Dustin Walcher, Assistant Professor of
History at Southern Oregon University
and recent OSU Ph.D., explores how U.S.
economic policies in Latin America have
fostered mistrust and resentment. In In
our Folklore Series, Mickey Weems, Ph.D.
from the Department of English, examines
the life and legacy of Juana Ines de la Cruz,
specifically in relation to the gay communities
in both Mexico and the United
States in “Patron Saint to Many.” Finally, we
are happy to continue our Creative Corner
section, this time with two contributions:
“Hell to Pay” provides a creative examination
of Latino culture by Frederick Luis
Aldama; while Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz
offers the poem “On the death of that
most excellent lady” and visiting lecturer,
Tatiana Andrade Seiber shares her poem
“Soñaste tu canto eternacigarra.”
As always, we conclude with our food
review: in “Cantina Laredo – Fine Tex Mex
Available in Columbus,” I join my new
review partner, who goes by the name La
Gringa, in critiquing one of the better new
restaurants in Columbus.
This year promises to be an exciting
time at ¿Qué Pasa, OSU? and should be
filled with many changes that we hope
our readers will appreciate. To our new
students, welcome to The Ohio State
University; to our returning readers,
welcome home…
— M.J. Alarid
2

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Volume XVIII Number 1 Autumn 2010
Features
Your New Home
Ohio State’s Beautiful New Study,
Living, and Playrooms
By Francisco Gómez-Bellengé
Choosing a Major
Advice for Making the Decision
of Your Lifetime
By Rachel Sanabria, Emily Carpenter,
and Danielle Whitaker
Your First Year on Campus
How to Survive and Thrive
in the Dormitories
By Kenny Lopez
One University, Several Campuses
Regional Campuses Offer a More
Affordable, Intimate Ohio
State Experience
By Mauricio Espinoza
Sections
Esquina del Editor
New School Year Brings Fresh Start
By Michael J. Alarid
Faculty Profile
Brazil Brings Them Together
Lúcia Costigan and Katherine Borland
By Mauricio Espinoza
Student Profile
Actually Being There is LIfe Changing
International Affairs Scholars Travel
to Bolivia, Expand Their Horizons
By Mauricio Espinoza
History Series
Globalization as History in Argentina
U.S. Economic Policies at Work
in Latin America
By Professor Dustin Walcher
Folklore Series
Patron Saint to Many
The Life and Legacy of Sor Juana
Inés de la Cruz
By Micky Weems
10
12
13
20
22
24
27
Opportunities for Involvement are All
Around
A guide to Hispanic/Latino
Student Organizations
By Giovana Covarrubias
Coming of Age
The Growth and Services Offered
by the Office of Minority Affairs
By Normando Caban
2010 Hispanic Heritage Month
Events Calendar
14 Pictoral
Students on Move-in Day
and Welcome Week
By Emily Strouse
Su Opinión
Brave New World
Adjusting and Thriving as a Minority
is Key to your Success
By Miguel Guavara
Creative Corner
Short Story: Hell to Pay
Selected Poetry
By Frederick Luis Aldama, Sor Juana Inés
de la Cruz and Tatiana Andrade Seiber
Mi Experiencia
Bianca Alvarez
Life as a Latina Diver at
Ohio State University
By Bianca Alvarez
Food Review
Cantina Laredo
Fine Tex Mex Available in Columbus
By Michael J. Alarid, featuring La Gringa
Editor
Michael J. Alarid
Designer & Photographer
Emily Strouse
Executive Committee
Francesca Amigo
Normando Caban, Ex Officio
Jose Cabral, Chair
Mauricio Espinoza
Francisco Gómez-Bellengé
Victor Mora
Fernando Unzueta
Contributors
Frederick Luis Aldama
Bianca Alvarez
Normando Caban
Emily Carpenter
Giovana Covarrubias
Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz
Mauricio Espinoza
Francisco Gómez-Bellengé
Miguel Guavara
Kenny Lopez
Rachel Sanabria
Tatiana Andrade Seiber
Danielle Whitaker
Dustin Walcher
Mickey Weems
Reviewers
Francesca Amigo
Jose Cabral
Normando Caban
Tiffany Clyburn
Mauricio Espinoza
Kim Kovarik
Gretchen Turna
Yolanda Zepeda
Cover Artist:
Alex Loza, Fine Artist
www. alexloza.com
Painting:
Portrait of Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz
Mix Medium on canvas
Size: 4' x 5' (48"x60")
Year: 2008
This publication is supported by the
Office of Academic Affairs and The
Office Minority Affairs through the
auspices of the Hispanic Oversight
Committee and the ¿Qué Pasa, OSU?
Community Board. Issue production
is a collaboration of the ¿Qué Pasa,
OSU? Executive Committee and the
Office of Minority Affairs.
The Ohio State University is not
responsible for the content and
views of this publication. The
publication does not necessarily
reflect the views and opinions of
the staff and Executive Committee.
All submissions for publications
must include the name and phone
number or e-mail address of those
responsible for the submissions.
¿Qué Pasa, OSU? reserves the
right to refuse any submission for
publication.
For questions and inquiries, please
contact cabral.1@osu.edu.
Note: We use the term "Latino" to
represent both Latino and Latina.
www.quepasa.osu.edu Autumn Quarter 2010 3

Brazil Brings Them Together
Lúcia Costigan and Katherine Borland
By Mauricio Espinoza
Faculty Profile
They are from different countries, work on
different Ohio State campuses, and belong
to different academic departments. But
there’s one thing that unites professors
Lúcia Costigan and Katherine Borland:
their love for Brazilian culture and their
commitment to share it with students.
Born in Brazil (in her own words, “in a beautiful
state in the Amazon region”), Costigan is
an Associate Professor in the Department of
Spanish and Portuguese on the Columbus
campus. She specializes in Latin American
colonial literature and culture, contemporary
Brazilian literature, and comparative studies
involving Portuguese and Spanish America.
She holds an undergraduate degree in
modern languages and literatures from
the Universidade Federal de Goiás, Brazil; a
master’s in education from Boston College;
and a Ph.D. in Latin American literatures from
the University of Pittsburgh. She joined Ohio
State in 1988.
Katherine Borland was born in Powelton
Village, Philadelphia, “One of only two integrated
neighborhoods in the city in the 1960s
and 1970s.” She is an Associate Professor
and assistant dean at Ohio State Newark,
serving as the regional campus’s “one-person
Comparative Studies Department.” A
specialist in folklore, postcolonial literature,
traditional narrative and comparative ethnic
studies, Borland did her undergraduate work
at the University of Chicago, then studied
English literature and the teaching of writing
at Temple University, and completed her
Ph.D. in folklore at Indiana University. She has
been at Ohio State since 1999.
Studying Brazil, one might say, comes
naturally to Costigan. But it’s the connection
between Brazil and the rest of Latin America
that really drives her teaching and research
endeavors. Being at Ohio State doesn’t hurt
either.
“I decided to study Latin American literature
because I always felt that Brazil and
Spanish America have a rich culture and literature,”
Costigan says. “The appreciation for
the culture of the Portuguese and Spanish
speaking countries led me to pursue my
Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh, then
one of the best places for Latin American
studies. Today the Department of Spanish
and Portuguese at The Ohio State University
is perhaps the best place in the United States
for the study of Spanish and Latin American
languages, literatures and cultures. I am very
happy for the opportunity to teach and do
research in such an environment with great
colleagues and students.”
While Borland conducts research in Latin
America (particularly Nicaragua) and has
traveled and taught in Spain, her interest
in Brazil only peaked after interacting with
Costigan.
“I had a sabbatical two years ago and
elected to spend much of my time learning
Portuguese partly because Lúcia and her colleagues
are so welcoming,” Borland recalled.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY MAURICIO ESPINOZA
“They convinced me I could do it. I had the
opportunity to travel to Brazil in June and
July of 2009 and was overwhelmed by the
beauty and complexity of the country and its
many cultures.”
Such interactions and experiences led to
Costigan and Borland collaborating on and
winning a $7,000 Gateway Study Abroad
Grant from Ohio State’s Office of International
Affairs in the spring of 2010. The grant is
being used to develop an introductory-level,
month-long study abroad opportunity in
Brazil for students in any discipline, which
will take place in summer 2011.
During her tenure at Ohio State, Costigan
has led many study abroad classes to Brazil
and has been successful in obtaining substantial
awards to support such efforts,
including a $200,000 grant from the National
Endowment for the Humanities (2006-2007)
to direct a summer institute for college
and university teachers entitled “From the
Baroque to Modernism: Brazilian Literature
and Culture.” Now that Ohio State has identified
Brazil (along with China as India) as its
first three “gateways” as it strives to become
a “global university,” the level of involvement
between Buckeye faculty and students and
their counterparts in Brazil is poised to grow
significantly.
At the same time that it pushes for globalization,
Ohio State has also unveiled its
“One University” initiative to better integrate
the institution geographically, academically,
socially and culturally. Such integration
includes bringing the university’s Columbus
campus, its five regional campuses and
several other outlying facilities throughout
the state closer together. In many ways,
the collaboration between Costigan and
Borland is a great example of what the “One
University” concept actually looks like on the
ground — breaking down location, departmental
and disciplinary barriers to enhance
the quality of learning for students.
To read the Q & A session with professors
Borland and Costigan please visit www.
quepasa.osu.edu.
4

‘Actually Being There is Life-changing’
International Affairs Scholars Travel to Bolivia, Expand Their Horizons
By Mauricio Espinoza
Both Raquel Hernandez and Aiden Carrillo
are sophomores at Ohio State, studying
business and Spanish, and both were born
in the United States to Mexican parents. They
have something else in common: they are
members of the university’s International
Affairs Scholars Program and participated
in a 10-day study abroad trip to Bolivia this
past March.
Majoring in business with a specialization
in marketing and planning to take up
a minor in Spanish, Hernandez was born
in Chapel Hill, NC but lived most of her life
in Toledo, OH. During her first year at Ohio
State, she was also involved in The Hispanic
Student Business Association and Nourish
International, a student movement seeking
to eradicate poverty abroad by engaging
students and empowering communities.
Carrillo is double-majoring in Spanish
and a business field yet to be decided (most
likely logistics management). He is from
Grand Rapids, MI, but now lives in Durango,
Mexico (where his parents were born and
currently live) during winter and summer
breaks.
Before traveling to Bolivia, Hernandez
and Carrillo took SPAN 520: Andean/Bolivian
Literatures and Cultures during winter 2010.
The class was taught by Fernando Unzueta,
an Associate Professor in the Department
of Spanish and Portuguese, who also led
the study abroad trip. The course provided
the students with foundational information
on Bolivian history; contemporary Bolivian
social, political, economic and cultural issues;
and Andean cultures and literature.
The actual trip began in the eastern
tropical city of Santa Cruz, where the group
focused on urban planning and the recent
growth of the city due to the region’s vast
reserves of natural gas; they also visited
the lowlands and the Jesuit Missions. A few
days were then spent in Cochabamba in the
central part of the country, with a focus on
rural development. The trip concluded in the
capital city of La Paz and surrounding areas
in the western highlands, where students
visited museums, attended a lecture and
toured
Lake Titicaca and the Tiahuanaco ruins.
Here, Hernandez and Carrillo talk about
their trip and what they learned from this
study abroad experience:
What motivated you to go on
this study abroad trip?
Raquel: My main motivation
to go on the trip was the desire to
learn about a country and a culture
I knew very little about. It was also a
great opportunity to meet my fellow
International Affairs Scholars.
Aiden: The opportunity to travel
to another country with my friends
and to experience another culture
motivated me to go abroad. I always enjoy
going to new places, so that was motivation
enough.
What is your opinion of the Bolivia
trip?
Raquel: I loved it! It was an amazing trip
full of cultural richness. It sparked my love of
traveling. I enjoyed participating in this study
abroad program because it was more than
just a trip. Taking Spanish 520 taught me a
lot about Bolivian culture and history.
Aiden: The trip to Bolivia changed my
life entirely. I learned many things about
a different culture, which books, videos or
the Internet cannot teach me. We traveled
to many different places and each had its
unique characteristic that made me like it.
What did you learn during this experience,
both at the academic and personal
levels?
Raquel: Academically, I was able to relate
what I had learned at OSU to the culture I
was surrounded by. Taking the class prior to
leaving allowed me to gather the common
customs and frequently used cultural jargon.
Personally, I was able to look beyond written
words. Bolivia is a country misunderstood by
many Americans due to its political instability
and the lack of trade with other countries.
However, being in the country, I learned
to value the people. I became more openminded
and acknowledged the power of
listening.
Aiden: I learned a lot about the lifestyle,
politics and history of Bolivia. Going to
Bolivia also reminded me how fortunate I
am to be American and how many opportunities
Ohio State can give me. The people
there were very kind despite not having a
lot of money and that can be an example for
others to follow.
What would you tell other students
about study abroad opportunities?
Raquel: I would tell other students who
are interested in studying abroad to go for
it! It is an experience like no other. It might
be interesting to learn about different
cultures and countries through textbooks,
but actually being in that country is lifechanging.
I believe all students should have
the opportunity to see the world from a different
angle.
Aiden: I would say to take every advantage
of going abroad because it can change
your life completely. While you learn new
cultures, practice another language and
experience a different lifestyle, it also looks
good on a resume.
How would you say study abroad
experiences enhance student learning?
Raquel: My college-learning experience
was enhanced by this study abroad
trip simply by allowing me to take what I
had learned in a classroom and apply it to
a real-world situation. It made my learning
experience far more memorable and greatly
valued.
Aiden: I went with a group of other
International Affair Scholars, and it brought
me closer to them. It is another way to
learn something because you experience it
with books and hands-on. Everything you
learned in class comes together with what
you see when you go abroad.
International Affairs Scholars Program,
please visit: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/
scholars/ia.aspx
To learn about Ohio State’s more than 100
study abroad programs in over 40 countries
and how you can be part of the experience, log
on to http://oia.osu.edu/study-abroad.html
PHOTO PROVIDED BY MAURICIO ESPINOZA
Student Profile
www.quepasa.osu.edu Autumn Quarter 2010 5

Your New Home
Ohio State’s Beautiful New Study, Living, and Playrooms
By Francisco Gómez-Bellengé
Estas en tu casa is not just a figure of
speech; it is an invitation to share one’s
home and think of it as your own. We at
¿Qué Pasa, OSU? say to you—estas en tu
casa! Ohio State is your new home and,
like any home, it has living, study and play
areas. We are lucky that several of those
areas at Ohio State are new or newly renovated.
Let’s explore.
The newest addition is the Ohio Union,
the “campus living room,” which opened
in March 2010 and is already a student
favorite. The $118 million facility has more
than 30 meeting and event rooms, several
dining options, performance facilities,
ample parking and state-of-the-art technology.
The décor is distinctly Buckeye, with
every square inch seemingly devoted to the
Scarlet and Gray.
Eateries includes Sloopy’s Diner,
Woody’s Tavern, Espress-OH and the Union
Market. Breakfast is served all day at the
retro Sloopy’s Diner, and Woody’s Tavern
offers Ohio wines and beers. You might also
want to check out the Instructional Kitchen
and the Creative Arts Room, both in the
basement.
The Union is also home to the
Multicultural Center, Off-Campus Student
Services, the Center for Student Leadership
and Service, and the Discount Ticket
Program. There is also BuckID, a branch of
U.S. Bank, and Station 88, a Buckeye-themed
store. About 80 student groups have
space on the second and third floors, and
Undergraduate Student Government has its
own Senate Chambers on the second floor.
We are sure this is one hangout you will
want to explore. Although there are plenty
of meeting areas and over 130 TVs throughout
the building, the Union also features a
number of quiet study spaces.
Speaking of study, the “campus study
room,” the William Oxley Thompson
Memorial Library, is located a short walk
from the Union on the Oval, the heart of the
campus. One year ago, the library reopened
for business after a three-year, $109 million
restoration, renovation and expansion. This
stunning facility is very open and bright
because the abundance of glass used in the
renovation.
It includes the Grand Reading Room
restored to its 1913 splendor, over 230
computers for public use, a glass-enclosed
Stacks Tower reminiscent of a Borg ship,
1,800 seats, study rooms with white boards
and flat screen TVs and the new Berry Café.
Across from the café by the west entrance
is the Buckeye Bar, a help desk staffed by
the Office of Information Technology. Don’t
miss special exhibits on the ground floor. On
the ground and first floors are metal tablets
displaying different types of written communications
from around the world, past,
present as well as imaginary (check out the
Elvish script of Lord of the Rings fame on the
ground floor).
The main library is one of 13 library facilities
on campus. You might also want to check
out the Cartoon Library and Museum in the
basement of the Wexner Center for the Arts,
the Byrd Polar archives at the Library Book
Depository or the Historic Costume and
Textile Museum at Campbell Hall.
If you walk out of the west entrance of
the library, the “campus play room” is visible
on the right. This is the Recreation and
Physical Activity Center or RPAC. With its
silver metallic and red accents (think Scarlet
& Gray!), the RPAC is as distinctive a campus
facility as any.
Opened in 2007 at a cost of $140 million,
RPAC’s facilities include 25,000 square feet
of fitness space, two four-court gyms, 10
racquetball courts, and a four-lane jogging
track. The fitness area includes a weight area
with rubber carpeting, a cardio area with
carpet, and more equipment than you have
probably ever seen. Also at the RPAC are golf,
aerobic equipment and classes, and game
and multipurpose rooms. Finally, there is a
Wellness Center, child care facilities, meeting
spaces and the Courtside café, featuring hot
and cold healthy food items.
Across from the RPAC is the Bill & Mae
McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion. It features a
competitive swimming pool (long & short
course) and a Varsity Diving Pool. There are
also recreation, instructional and leisure
pools.
One way of looking at your university
experience is seeing Ohio State’s main
campus as a city built for you, with almost
endless resources. An important part of
the college experience is taking advantage
of these many opportunities. In no time,
you will have your favorite hangouts and
routines. Enjoy!
6

Choosing a Major
Advice for Making the Decision of Your Lifetime
By Rachel Sanabria, Emily Carpenter, and Danielle Whitaker
The big question on campus: “What
is your major?” For those who haven’t
decided or are currently unsure about the
major they have officially declared, the
question can be frustrating and stressful.
There may be pressure from family, peers,
and the college environment to choose
as soon as possible. This may be why
several reliable sources state that most
students change their major at least once
during their undergraduate career. So,
what should you consider when choosing
a major? What questions are the “right”
ones? Where can you find resources to
help you make an appropriate and responsible
decision?
When choosing a major, consider how
you make decisions. Consider the internal
factors that help you make decisions. Your
internal factors are the things that you
know about yourself: What subjects do
you dislike studying? What activities do
you struggle with? Do you have academic
strengths and weaknesses? Then think
beyond academics. Is there anything
about part-time jobs, volunteering, activities,
or hobbies that you truly love? In jobs
you’ve held so far, were there things you
clearly enjoyed and did not enjoy?
Consider your values and your personality.
What’s important to you about what
you study and what career you would like
in the future? Do you want to help people?
Do you want your passions (the arts, education,
justice) to be part of your everyday
life? Think about your personality and the
environments in which you are most comfortable
and confident. Are you happy
when working in groups? Partnerships?
Do you enjoy teaching? Public Speaking?
Writing? Working on a computer? Do you
like to mingle and meet new people, or are
you shy in these situations?
You must also face external factors
that help you make decisions. What do
your parents think you should major in?
Can you afford the cost of the particular
program you want to choose? Will you
like the environment in which you might
find yourself working after you graduate?
Will you earn a salary that affords a particular
lifestyle? Be realistic with yourself in
answering these questions.
You must work to identify the possible
outcomes of your decision. Think before
you declare. As you contemplate the right
major for you, take some time to explore
it thoroughly before officially declaring it.
Would it be wise to add a minor to your
program to round out your talents and
complement your interests instead of
changing your major altogether? There
will be a record of all majors and minors
you declare at Ohio State, so it’s probably
better not to declare something every time
it strikes you as interesting. All said, when
you are confident, don’t delay in declaring.
There are many benefits to making your
major “official”: tailored advising from that
major department and the appropriate
college office, scholarships, and research
opportunities.
When you have chosen a major, it is
important to reassess your decision. Talk
to others about your thoughts – Ohio
State advisors, family, friends, and other
students who are more experienced in
upper-level major coursework can all be
excellent resources. It’s okay to take a class
that lets you explore a major you think you
might declare. It’s through experimentation
and evaluation that you find affirmation
that you made the right choice. After
all, it is about YOU.
Resources at OSU to help you choose
a major:
Exploration Program:
www.exploration.osu.edu
Career Connection:
www.careerconnection.osu.edu
Career Services:
www.careers.osu.edu
Contributing authors:
Emily Carpenter, Academic Counselor,
ASC Advising (carpenter.438@osu.edu)
Rachel Sanabria, Academic Program
Specialist, Dept. of Spanish & Portuguese
(sanabria.3@osu.edu)
Danielle Whitaker, Academic Counselor,
Exploration Group (DWhitaker@esue.ohiostate.edu)
DOCTOR RONALDO MARTINEZ GRADUATED FROM OSU COLLEGE OF DENTISTRY IN 1993, WWW.VICTORIANVILLAGEDENTALCARE.COM
www.quepasa.osu.edu Autumn Quarter 2010 7

Your First Year on Campus
How to Survive and Thrive in the Dormitories
By Kenny Lopez
First and foremost, congratulations
on your admittance to The Ohio State
University! This is a very exciting time
with significant changes coming your way.
But don’t fret you are not alone. You are
joining not only an institution of higher
learning, but a community of peers and
a new extended family—the Buckeye
family. Once you arrive on campus and at
your Residence Hall for move-in day, know
that you will have staff, friends and peers
to welcome you, help you, and all will be
resources for you. As your first resource,
below is a list of things that a few of last
year’s freshmen wished they would have
known when arriving at Ohio State:
Get to know your RA: Your Resident
Advisor (RA) is one of the most important
people who you should meet once you
move in. An RA is an upperclassman who
has been trained to help you through any
of the challenges that you may face. RAs
are here to help you make connections
with your peers on your floor and in your
building and work through issues that
may arise between roommates or suitemates.
Your RA can also lend a friendly ear
when you simply need someone to listen.
Stay on campus during the weekends:
It can get very tempting to go home on
the weekends, especially if you live close
by or are not having the experience
you wished for. STICK IT OUT. Stay on
campus as long as possible before going
home. Friendships are made and bonds
are cemented during the weekends and
autumn quarter is so jam-packed with
weekend activities that you are bound to
find something fun to do.
Finding a go-to place: The Ohio
State campus is a very big place that can
sometimes be overwhelming. Having
your favorite go-to place, whether it’s for
studying alone or enjoying a cup of coffee
with a friend, will give you somewhere to
go that can feel like it’s your own. There
are all kinds of little-known gems all over
campus, so go exploring the first week and
claim one for your own!
Get involved: With over 950 student
organizations, there are literally hundreds
of opportunities for you to find something
you will love. That might sound like a lot,
but finding that one organization (or a
few!) that you truly enjoy will help you find
your own niche in the larger OSU community.
And it’s easier than you might think.
Don’t be afraid to try something new, you
never know what you might find. But
remember, extracurriculars are important,
but don’t lose sight of why you’re here – to
learn and get your degree!
Don’t be afraid to ask for help: It can
be overwhelming, moving to a new place
where things are unfamiliar, but don’t let
that hold you back. There will always be
someone to answer your questions or
guide you in the right direction. You are
part of a great big family here and we will
not let you fail!
Go Bucks!!
8

One University, Several Campus Choices
Regional Campuses Offer a More Affordable, Intimate Ohio State Experience
By Mauricio Espinoza
One of the first adjectives that comes
to mind when describing The Ohio State
University is, well, BIG. And it’s true: Ohio
State, one of the largest universities in
the United States, ranks high on the list of
prime research institutions and is located
in one of the country’s fastest-growing
cities, Columbus.
However, Ohio State also offers great
choices for those students who just prefer
a smaller, more intimate environment
but who still want the BIG benefits and
prestige of an Ohio State education.
Did you know you can go to Ohio State
by attending any of the university’s four
regional campuses spread across central
and northern Ohio? Located in rural areas
and with the size and atmosphere of small
liberal arts colleges, these campuses offer
the same academic quality, resources, and
degree-recognition that you would get by
attending the Columbus campus.
And there’s one BIG added bonus: an
Ohio State degree on these campuses
costs much less than in Columbus.
Ohio State has campuses in Newark and
Marion, just east and north of Columbus,
respectively; in Mansfield in north-central
Ohio; in Lima in northwestern Ohio; and
also the Agricultural Technical Institute
(ATI) in the northeastern Ohio city of
Wooster.
The regional campuses were created
to bring Ohio State’s world-class education
and resources closer to different parts
of the state and to serve students living
in those communities. But anyone from
anywhere in Ohio or the United States can
take advantage of the personal attention
and friendly, peaceful environments these
campuses provide.
“For students who come from small
towns or are very close to their families,
a regional campus is an excellent option,”
said Temple Patton, minority affairs coordinator
and admissions counselor at
Ohio State Lima. “They will find smaller
classroom sizes, very similar to what they
were used to at their high schools, and will
receive more individualized attention.”
Affordability, talented faculty, increasing
appeal of campus size and class size
are indeed a big difference between the
regional campuses and the main campus.
Mansfield has 1,647 students compared to
more than 55,000 in Columbus. Lima has
an average class size of 18, while it’s not
unusual for students in Columbus to share
a classroom with hundreds of their peers.
But size and proximity to home are not
the only factors to consider when thinking
about attending a regional campus. When
it comes to deciding between the big
campus and the small campus, money
also talks, especially during the current
economic downturn.
“Affordability is definitely a plus,” said
Pam Joseph, communications director
at Lima. “Fulltime tuition for a year at the
regional campuses is $6,102 vs. $9,420 in
Columbus. We also have free parking.”
What’s definitely not cheap on the
regional campuses is the quality of
their education. Students take the same
courses they would on the Columbus
campus, guided by highly capable faculty
who belong to the same home departments
as in Columbus and who excel at
both teaching and research. For example,
Richard Shiels, an Associate Professor of
history at Newark, won the 2010 Alumni
Award for Distinguished Teaching; and
Lima math professor Mohamed Yousif is
an international expert on ring theory. At
Mansfield, you will find that 95 percent
of professors have PhDs. And at all of the
regional campuses, classes are taught by
professors, never by graduate teaching
assistants.
“The regional campus faculty are very
collegial, and because of that, we have
the potential to really do some interesting
interdisciplinary work,” says Katey Borland,
professor of Comparative Studies and
assistant dean at Newark. “I have taught
advanced undergraduate courses both at
Columbus and Newark, and I can honestly
say that by the time our students reach
their junior and senior years, most are as
strong as their peers in Columbus.”
The quality and advantages offered
by the regional campuses are not going
unnoticed. Last year, combined enrollment
at all five campuses set a new record
by jumping 4.5 percent (9.3 percent at
Marion) compared to 2008. Minority
enrollment is also up: the number of
Latino students increased by 21.7 percent
at Mansfield and 16.7 at ATI-Wooster last
year.
At the regional campuses, students
can complete Associate’s degrees as well
as Bachelor’s degrees in selected majors.
Some of the campuses also offer master’s
degrees in education and social work. Ohio
State ATI — ranked No. 1 in the nation in
the awarding of associate degrees in agriculture
— offers two-year programs in
areas such as horticulture and construction
with over 90 percent job-placement
success rates.
Attending a regional campus is also
a way to get used to college life before
making the move to Columbus. Students
can start any of Ohio State’s more 170
programs on any of the regional campuses
and then request a transfer to Columbus,
while saving a good chunk of cash in their
overall Ohio State journey.
Finally, another advantage of picking
a regional campus is open enrollment —
meaning all Ohio residents with a high
school diploma or GED will be accepted
regardless of their ACT or SAT scores.
Ohio State President Gordon Gee’s
concept of “One University” is clearly represented
in the relationship between the
Columbus and the regional campuses.
“Ohio State is the chocolate bar,” illustrates
Wayne Rowe, manager of communications
and marketing at Marion. “If you break off
a piece of the bar, that’s a regional campus.
It’s still part of the same bar, though. It still
tastes as good.”
Visit: http://www.osu.edu/academics/
a-z.php#regional
www.quepasa.osu.edu Autumn Quarter 2010 9

Opportunities for Involvement are All Around
A guide to Hispanic/Latino Organizations
By Giovana Covarrubias
Among the organizations registered
at the Ohio Union, students can find
numerous groups that serve the Hispanic/
Latino community at The Ohio State
University:
The University-wide Council of
Hispanic Organizations (UCHO) –UCHO
is the umbrella organization for all Hispanic
interest groups at Ohio State. The organization
has two primary goals: 1) to foster
communication among various social, professional,
and educational Latino/Hispanic
organizations, and 2) to advocate for the
continuing developmental, social, and
cultural programming for Latino/ Hispanic
students, faculty, and staff at Ohio State.
Alpha Psi Lambda, Inc. - Alpha
Chapter – Alpha Psi Lambda is the oldest
and largest co-ed Latino interest fraternity
and prides itself on having active
members in the Latino community at
Ohio State that promote and advocate for
Latino interests. Their purpose is to enrich
the lives of undergraduates interested in
Latino cultures and to provide a family
atmosphere in the university setting. At
Ohio State, Alpha Psi Lambda is known for
its annual programs, such as International
Day for the Elimination of Violence Against
Women, César Chávez week, and Unas
Palabritas (a poetry session which has
featured student, local, and nationallyknown
poets such as Saul Williams and La
Bruja).
Society of Hispanic Professional
Engineers (SHPE) – SHPE welcomes
students majoring in engineering and
science who are interested in gaining engineering
experience outside of the classroom.
Each year, several guest speakers
from various companies share their
knowledge during meetings intended to
help SHPE members gain insight into life
as an engineer and the options available
after graduation. During the fall quarter,
SHPE attends a national convention that
offers numerous educational seminars
and a career fair. SHPE members are
allowed interview opportunities with a
wide variety of companies throughout the
nation, providing members with an inside
track to finding internships and ultimately
job placement.
Latino Law Students Association
(LLSA) – The Latino Law Student
Association (LLSA) is an organization dedicated
to preparing its members for their
professional careers. Additionally, LLSA
seeks to promote Latino awareness and
minority interests within the realm of the
legal profession. LLSA objectives include
advancing the interests and welfare of its
members, the law school, and the Latino
community as a whole.
To accomplish their mission, LLSA
strives to introduce Latino students to
lawyers and build awareness of career
opportunities; at the same time, LLSA
promotes community activism related to
the legal and social issues that minority
groups face. LLSA also promotes scholarship
among Latino students, provides
leadership by sponsoring conferences
related to Latino and minority legal and
policy issues, and organizes community
projects benefiting minority communities.
Lambda Theta Phi Latin Fraternity,
Inc. – “It is quite a daunting task to move
1,200 miles from home to start your own
life and become a successful student,
but Lambda Theta Phi welcomed me
with open arms familiar to the ‘familia’
ideals that I am so accustomed to back in
Houston, Texas and made the transition
much smoother. Needless to say, my first
year of brotherhood has provided me with
opportunity, excitement, and triumph …
En La Union Está La Fuerza.”
Strength, Unity, & Respect – Latino
Group – The purpose of Strength, Unity
& Respect (SUR) is to increase retention
and graduation rates among Latino
males in higher education. The tenets of
SUR are to create a network of students,
staff, and faculty that share a philosophy
of support and brotherhood. Their goals
are to challenge the status quo of apathy
and disconnect, establish an academic
community, provide support to promote
Latino academic success, and to use mentorship
to promote community.
Hispanic Oversight Committee (HOC)
– Appointed by the Provost, the primary
function of the HOC is to serve as a voice
for the OSU Hispanic/Latino community
10

to the university administration. The
HOC focuses its energies on the recruitment
and retention of Latino faculty, staff,
and students while seeking to promote
Hispanic/Latino cultural and academic
enrichment. Among the current initiatives
that the HOC is promoting are the continued
development of the Latino/a Studies
program, enhancing graduate student
recruitment, and obtaining increased
funds for Hispanic-related activities.
Hispanic Business Student
Association (HBSA)
HBSA is an organization that targets
students who embrace Hispanic culture
within the Fisher College of Business or
with a general interest in business. The
organization seeks to help students hone
business skills, increase professionalism,
and create a competitive advantage when
entering the workforce.
Throughout the year, HBSA hosts a
number of events that help students
acquire leadership and teambuilding skills
essential to their success. Businesses such
as Abbott Laboratories, Abercrombie &
Fitch, American Greetings, and Limited
Brands present internship and full-time
employment opportunities to members
and teach students the importance of networking
skills.
Phi Iota Alpha Latino Fraternity, Inc.
“I was intrigued by its vast history: being
the oldest Latino fraternity in existence
(1931), with Latin American presidents
from Panama, Colombia, and Honduras.
I was also attracted to its main vision: La
Unión De La Patria Latino Americana.
Lastly, I was impressed by the fraternity
following revolutionary pillars, which had
fought for Latin American independence
throughout the 1700s and 1800s.”
This is just a small sampling of the different
organizations available at Ohio State.
Other Hispanic/Latino organizations,:
(including Folclor Hispano, College Assistant
Migrant Program Alumni Association
(CAMPAA), Canto Latino, Puerto Rican
Students Association (PRSA), Oi Brasil!,
Asociación de Estudiantes Mexicanos
(AEM), and Club Tropical) please visit http://
quepasa.osu.edu/organizations.html
www.quepasa.osu.edu Autumn Quarter 2010 11

Coming of Age
The Growth and Services Offered by the Office of Minority Affairs
By Normando Caban
Created during the turbulent social
political struggles of the late 1960’s, the
Office of Minority Affairs (OMA) has continued
to reinvent itself in its efforts to
provide quality services to the Ohio State
student body. While it originally began
as an effort to address the concerns of
the African American community during
the 1960’s civil rights struggle, it has now
evolved into one of the largest and most
recognized university diversity offices in
the country. Since its creation over four
decades ago, OMA has been a bastion
of innovative student services that were
created to meet the specific needs of the
student groups who have historically been
disenfranchised and underrepresented
in higher education. What was once an
office that was created to serve primarily
the needs of the African American student
body has evolved into a first-class service
center for all underrepresented students.
More and more each year, we find an
increasing number of students of all back
grounds shoring up their academic success
by taking advantage of OMA’s abundant
programmatic services. Both incoming
freshmen and current students who have
never looked into these programs are
strongly encouraged to do so.
OMA offers programs and services that
work collaboratively with other university
offices to provide holistic support to
students during their tenure at Ohio State.
These services can run the gambit from
helping high school seniors with the Ohio
State admissions and financial aid processes
to nurturing and catering students’ specific
interests and needs through the following
programs:
The Advising Program helps students
identify and pursue the appropriate major
and supplements the student’s academic
advising.
The Mentoring Program matches
students with a suitable faculty or staff
mentor.
The Tutorial Program provides free
tutoring for students in a wide range of
subjects with options of small-group, individual,
or walk-in tutoring.
The ACCESS Collaborative assists lowincome
single parent students who have
custodial responsibility of their children.
ACCESS provides financial aid counseling,
housing and child care assistance as well as
parenting, life-skills, and leadership-development
workshops.
Minority Scholarship Services provides
financial aid counseling and facilitates the
awarding of need-based grants and meritbased
scholarships to students funded by
OMA’s programs.
The Morrill Scholars Program is a competitive
full tuition scholarship program.
For a more detailed overview of all the
programs and services available through
the Office of Minority Affairs, you are highly
encouraged to visit www.oma.edu .
12

2010 Hispanic Heritage Month
Events Calendar
The Hispanic Heritage Month is an annual
national event that highlights Hispanic/
Latino culture, history and heritage. These
activities are intended not only to celebrate
our heritage but also forge new traditions,
perspectives and contributions that enrich
our future. Here at OSU, many interesting
programs and presentations are planned
throughout the month to celebrate our
rich and diverse cultures, ethnicity and
pride. La Fiesta in the Fall, is also a great
opportunity to increase awareness of the
growing Hispanic/Latino community on
campus. We welcome you to participate
in being part of the University's Hispanic/
Latino Heritage Month celebration.
October 2010
October 1, 2010
• L.A.S.E.R. SPLASH
"How to get involved"
MCC meeting room, Ohio Union
4 – 6 PM
Sponsored by L.A.S.E..R.
• Latino Film Series
"9500 Liberty"
MCC Meeting Room, Ohio Union
7PM
Description: The devastating social
and economic impact of the "Immigration
Resolution" is felt in the lives of real people
in homes and in local businesses. But the
ferocious fight to adopt and then reverse
this policy unfolds inside government
chambers, on the streets, and on the
Internet. 9500 Liberty provides a front row
seat to all three battlegrounds
October 6, 2010
• ¿Y TU QUIEN ERES?
"Studying Abroad"
MCC Meeting Room, Ohio Union
4 – 6 PM
Sponsored by Alpha Psi Lambda and The
Multicultural Center
October 14, 2010
• Latino Film Series
"Sleep Dealer"
MCC Meeting Room, Ohio Union
5 PM
Description: A young Mexican man
from the provinces, whose family and
home are destroyed by terrorist-seeking
drones, goes to Tijuana. There he joins a
workforce of illegal workers whose labor
is transported electronically across the
border, and finds the means to avenge the
violence.
October 20, 2010
• Cocinando en Columbus
Ohio Union Demo Kitchen, Ohio Union
7 – 11 PM
Sponsored by The Multicultural Center,
Alpha Psi Lambda and OMA
October 21, 2010
• L.A.S.E.R. Immigration & Latinos in
the Cultural Imagination
"Gus Arellano (Ask a Mexican) and
William Nericcio (Text-Mex) and Otto
Santa Anna (UCLA)"
MCC meeting room, Ohio Union
3 – 5 PM, Reception will follow
Sponsored by LASER and The
Multicultural Center
October 25, 2010
• Latino Film Series
"Papers: stories of undocumented
youth"
MCC Meeting Room, Ohio Union
5 PM
Sponsored by The Multicultural Center
Description: Papers is the story of
undocumented youth and the challenges
they face as they turn 18 without legal
status.
October 29, 2010
• La Fiesta: Un Carnaval de Cultura
Ohio Union,
6 PM – Midnight
www.quepasa.osu.edu Autumn Quarter 2010 13

Pictoral
Students on Move-in Day and Welcome Week
By Emily Strouse
14

Welcome
Our New Students
Featuring Stephanie Rocha-
Ibarra, Jacyna Ortiz, Manny
Martinez, Selina Jackson,
Derrick Neimeister, and others.
www.quepasa.osu.edu Autumn Quarter 2010 15

Globalization as History in Argentina
U.S. Economic Policies at Work in Latin America
By Professor Dustin Walcher, Southern Oregon University
Angry protesters spilled into the streets
of Buenos Aires, Argentina on December
19, 2001; after a decade of sustained
economic growth, the government of
Fernando de la Rúa had announced the
nation’s effective bankruptcy. People from
widely different socio-economic backgrounds
– from dock workers to storekeepers,
housewives to factory workers
– joined in condemning de la Rúa’s government,
and that of his predecessor,
Carlos Menem. Young men beat on drums
and women pounded on pots and pans,
providing a distinct acoustic accompaniment
to the demonstrations. Some even
clashed with police along the Avendia de
Mayo and on the Plaza de Mayo in the
heart of Buenos Aires. But popular rage
was not reserved for government and
business leaders alone; demonstrators
also blamed the International Monetary
Fund (IMF) – comprised of, according to
one Argentine acquaintance, “a bunch of
pirates” – and the U.S. government for their
country’s spectacular financial failure.
The protesters’ reaction makes sense
in light of the praise Argentina received
throughout the 1990s for following the
Washington Consensus. The Washington
Consensus refers to the neoliberal
economic model promoted by U.S. officials,
with the assistance of the IMF, during
the last decades of the twentieth century.
It called on governments to reduce
welfare state expenditures, privatize
publicly owned companies, streamline
regulation, reduce or eliminate barriers
to trade, regularize currency exchange,
and balance budgets. By following this
path, proponents of the Washington
Consensus argued, countries would be
rewarded with private foreign investment
and enjoy significant economic growth.
They also stood to receive much-needed
stabilization assistance from the IMF. But
all benefits were conditioned on reform.
Menem followed the advice of IMF officials,
as well as the George H. W. Bush and
Bill Clinton administrations, and opened
Argentina to foreign capital investment.
He privatized key state-owned businesses
such as YPF, the state oil company, and
Aerolíneas Argentinas, the national airline.
He reduced the bureaucracy and welfare
state services. To eliminate the country’s
consistent problem of high inflation, he
approved a controversial convertibility
plan whereby the Argentine Central Bank
agreed to exchange pesos for U.S. dollars
at par value. Under Menem, Argentina
appeared to emerge as a model of neoliberal
reform.
Much of the public discussion of globalization
during the 1990s – a term that’s
economic definition includes neoliberalism
and the consequent global economic
integration neoliberalism entailed – was
laudatory while also identifying the
process as a fundamentally new phenomenon.
Indeed, beginning in the 1970s the
pace of global market integration accelerated
rapidly in what some historians term
“the shock of the global.” With the collapse
of the Bretton Woods system of currency
exchange, more states liberalized their
exchange systems and reduced barriers
to trade and capital flows. However, as
Argentina’s experience demonstrates, the
neoliberal period of globalization represented
an evolution within global market
capitalism, not a radical departure.
Menem was not the first Argentine
president to perceive an advantage to
working with the IMF. In July 1958, an
IMF mission comprised of economists and
other technical experts visited Buenos
Aires. Two months earlier, Arturo Frondizi
had been sworn in as president. Elected
in a contest in which Peronist candidates,
who enjoyed strong support among the
working class and economic populists,
were proscribed from the ballot, Frondizi
claimed the mantle of economic nationalism.
Indeed, he was best known for
his opposition to contracts that former
President Juan Perón signed with Standard
Oil-California in 1955, on the grounds that
they compromised Argentine sovereignty.
However, despite his history of support
for economic nationalism Frondizi ultimately
concluded that he had more to
gain than to lose by working with the IMF
and the United States. He welcomed the
IMF mission to Argentina in the hope that
through cooperation he would be able to
gain foreign loans and tap new sources of
capital investment.
Frondizi did not come to his decision
lightly. Without Peronists on the ballot,
he had been able at least temporarily to
co-opt greater working class support.
But he inherited an economy in crisis.
Inflation was thirty-two percent in 1958,
eroding the purchasing power of all
Argentines. Unemployment remained
high and the balance of payments was in
deficit. The nation’s hard currency reserves
had dwindled to $200 million from $1.7
billion in 1946, and the 1958 forecasts
predicted that the remaining reserves
would be depleted. Agricultural products,
the nation’s chief exports, were stagnant.
Capital goods needed for industrialization
were expensive. The government
ran a fiscal deficit that showed no signs of
abating. The situation was not promising.
In light of the severity of the economic
crisis, Frondizi recognized that he needed
to make a drastic departure. He was determined
both to stabilize the economy
and pursue industrialization. In order
to be successful, he needed U.S. assistance.
U.S. policy in these matters was
clear; as Director of International Financial
Development Affairs Charles Adair pointed
out, U.S. foreign economic policy was to
make “balance-of-payments and stabilization
assistance dependent on adequate
financial programs worked out with
the International Monetary Fund (IMF).”
Much the same as under the Washington
Consensus, assistance from the U.S. government
was conditioned on the IMF providing
its own seal of approval. Moreover,
private transnational banks, particularly
those based in New York, also took their
cues from the IMF; if the IMF did not have
confidence in a country, lenders generally
concluded that the risk was too great.
The IMF mission’s August 1958 report
was not optimistic. It identified as serious
problems the rate of inflation, the balanceof-payments
deficit, an excessively complicated
system of currency exchange, and
the government’s fiscal deficit. Whereas
Frondizi was determined to move forward
simultaneously with an ambitious program
for industrial development, IMF experts
were less bullish. “The investments in
16

asic industries” wrote the staff, “will either
have to be reduced below present plans
or substantial foreign sources of financing
developed.” In order to receive the IMF’s
seal of approval – and any foreign loans
either to stabilize the balance of payments
or pursue development – Buenos Aires
needed to adopt an austere budget. Tax
collection must increase and spending
must decrease. There were too many
public employees, especially working on
the state-owned railroads. The welfare
state was too generous. Monetary policy
had been too loose. Currency exchange
must be simplified. The time for change
had arrived.
The Frondizi government was willing to
initiate the requested reforms, but insisted
on foreign support for industrialization in
addition to balance-of-payments stabilization.
On December 4, 1958, Economic
Minister Emilio Donato del Carril wrote
to IMF Managing Director Per Jacobsson,
officially requesting $75 million in special
drawing rights. He emphasized the government’s
willingness to follow IMF prescriptions.
With del Carril’s pledge, the
IMF staff supported the Argentine request.
Final authorization was still necessary from
the Executive Board – comprised of representatives
of IMF member states. In their
questioning of del Carril, most praised the
plan as a “bold” and “vigorous” response to
the crisis.
Remarkably muted in the questioning
was concern about the effects of fiscal
austerity on ordinary Argentines. In light
of the country’s history of labor unrest, and
the significance of the working class to the
Peronist movement, the Board’s willingness
to take del Carril at his word that the
country would unite behind the plan was
unwise. One board member expressed his
“hope that the social problems, which the
plan may generate and the unavoidable
unemployment in some activities which
are overexpanded [sic] by inflation will be
of short duration” – a typical reaction. The
Board approved del Carril’s request with
enthusiasm.
With the IMF’s seal of approval in hand,
the Frondizi government assembled a
package of loans designed to stabilize
the balance of payments and initiate new
industrialization projects. The December
18, 1958 agreement constituted $329
million package of loans from public and
private sources. Specifically, it included
$75 million in IMF drawing rights, $125
million from the Export-Import Bank, $50
million from the U.S. Treasury, $25 million
from the Development Loan Fund, and
$54 million from eleven private banks.
Frondizi’s cooperative policy had produced
its first dividend.
The conditions imposed on the loans
exacted a heavy cost. Angry at the layoffs
and welfare state reductions, in addition to
the increasingly high rate of inflation, the
working class responded by launching a
wave of strikes. The liberal international
economic order, workers complained,
offered benefits to the wealthy and
ongoing hardship to ordinary people. In
response, they directed their anger at the
Frondizi government and its American
benefactors. The left wing of the working
class identified “imperialism – especially of
the Yankee,” as the enemy of “national independence.”
It complained that “the great
SOURCE: HTTP://WWW.SOCIALISTVIEWPOINT.ORG/MARCH_03/MAR_03_17.HTML
imperialist monopolies,” along with the
IMF, caused “the cost of living to increase
barbarically.” Although the language
emerged from the left wing of Argentine
labor, the sentiment was shared broadly.
In the final analysis, Frondizi’s plan
failed. Although signs of macro-economic
recovery emerged, indicating that the austerity
program and enhanced availability of
foreign capital had some positive effects,
that upturn could not mask the growing
suffering of ordinary people. Moreover, in
an effort to stave off the political costs of
social crisis, the Frondizi government never
fully implemented the austerity measures
worked out with the IMF. Absent additional
stabilization lending, the balance
of payments quickly returned to deficit.
Meanwhile, angry protesters regularly
demonstrated against those austerity
measures that had been enacted. By 1962,
faced with renewed economic stagnation
and growing public restiveness, military
leaders removed Frondizi in a coup.
Although the global capitalist system
was not the same in the 1990s as it had been
in the 1950s, some of the differences are
often exaggerated. Indeed the volume of
transnational economic activity increased
dramatically, beginning in the 1970s, with
significant consequences for the global
economy. But in both the 1990s and the
late-1950s, U.S. and IMF leaders possessed
a similar vision for how to integrate economically
less developed countries into
the larger system. Those countries, they
preached, should minimize the role of the
state in the nation’s economic life, embrace
the market, and become open to transnational
capital. Since its founding at Bretton
Woods in 1944, the IMF has played an
important role in systematically dealing
with sovereign borrowers, both by providing
loans to cover balance-of-payments
deficits and as the final arbiter of a country’s
commitment to economic orthodoxy.
In both decades, IMF officials maintained
a myopic focus on economic data while
virtually ignoring the potential social costs
of the policies they advocated. The most
notable difference in the Argentine case
was that in the 1990s the country more
faithfully carried out Washington’s prescriptions
over a longer period of time, and
with even more money at stake.
History Series
www.quepasa.osu.edu Autumn Quarter 2010 17

Patron Saint to Many
The Life and Legacy of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz
By Mickey Weems, Ph.D., Department of English
them even quoted her.
As a renowned theologian and philosopher,
Juana is irresistible to ivory-tower
scholars. In fact, at least one of her books
has gained international attention outside
of modern-day Greater Hispania. Without
a doubt, Juana is the direct ancestor of
such important Hispanic Americans such
as Gloria Anzaldúa, Sonya Sotomayor, and
transwoman activist Sylvia Rivera. Mexican
LGBT groups honor her as a Gay patron
saint, as do I. While acknowledging that
Juana Inés de la Cruz is bigger than any
one label or group, this article will focus
on her as a folk icon in the worldwide Gay
community.
Sor (Sister) Juana Inés de la Cruz (1648-
1695 CE) was an outspoken Roman
Catholic nun in Colonial Mexico. Although
silenced in her lifetime, her words reverberate
louder and stronger than any of
her haters. Today, she is an icon for all
Mexicans, Latina women, the Lesbian community,
and feminists everywhere.
As a folklorist, there are plenty of things
that Juana did in terms of Mexican folklife
that attract me to her: she produced songs,
poems, plays, and a cookbook, all written
in colloquial Spanish, court Spanish,
Nahuatl, and Latin. Her works are still sung,
produced, and read all over the Spanishspeaking
world, and she continues to
influence the shared pulse of Mexican
identity. Juana Inés is folkloric catnip precisely
because she appeals to everyday
people. When I spoke of her to my fellow
workers in Chipotlé Mexican Grill who had
come from places such as Hidalgo, Oaxaca,
and the Distrito Federal, they knew who
she was, especially the women. One of
PAINTING BY ALEX LOZA, PORTRAIT OF SOR JUANA INES DE LA CRUZ, 2008, MIX MEDIUM ON CANVAS SIZE: 4' X 5' (48"X60"), WWW.ALEXLOZA.COM
Born to Learn
Born in Central Mexico. Juana Inés was
the illegitimate daughter of Isabel Ramírez,
a criolla (woman of Spanish descent born
in the Americas) who had six children from
two men and did not marry either man. Sor
Juana’s maternal grandfather had a large
library that allowed her a broader education
than that of most girls. Anything more
than a basic education was considered
inappropriate for women. Some say she
dressed as a boy so that she could study at
the University of Mexico.
She was taken under the wing of
Leonor Carreto, wife of the Viceroy of New
Spain (what is now roughly Florida, the
Caribbean, Phillipines, Central America,
and the USA west of the Mississippi River).
Rather than consent to being married,
Juana became a nun. Juana Inés gained
fame in both Mexico and Spain for her wit
and beauty. As much a celebrity as nun, she
was given various names, such as décima
musa (“tenth muse,” a title she shares with
the ancient Greek poet Sappho) and: fénix
de Mexico (“Mexican phoenix”).
Born to Love
Juana Inés was able to consort with the
rich and famous because of Leanor Carreto,
and the two women appear to have loved
each other deeply. When Carreto died in
1674, Juana Inés wrote three sonnets, one
with this verse:
18

Pues si antes, ambicioso de gosarte
Deseo tener ojos para verte
Ya le sirvieran sólo de llorarte
When before, wanting to please you
Desiring to have eyes to see you
Now they only serve to mourn you
At the departure of María Luisa, another
viceroy’s wife she loved years later, Juana
wrote:
Ser mujer, ni estar ausente
No es de amarte impedimento
Pues sabes tú, que las almas
Distancia ignoran y sexo
Neither being a woman nor being far
away
Stops me from loving you
For you well know that souls
Ignore distance and gender
Verses such as these have been interpreted
by Gay scholars as referring to
more than just expressions of friendship.
But there does not appear to be anything
from her opponents condemning her for
same-sex love. This could be due to conventions
of the time that allowed women
express friendship in such strong terms.
It could also be that the objects of Juana
Inés’ affection were powerful women of
the upper class and were thus beyond
reproach.
Bishop in Literary Drag
We know that Sor Juana had enemies
who wanted to silence her. Pressure
increased on Sor Juana to obey her spiritual
superiors and behave as a woman
rather than an intellectual. Things got
worse when Manuel Fernández de Santa
Cruz, Bishop of Pueblo, published one of
her essays that criticized a Church authority,
and wrote a letter telling Sor Juana
to stop writing on intellectual subjects,
and to become an obedient (and silent)
daughter of the Church. The bishop pretended
he was a fellow nun in the letter,
signing it “Sor Filotea.”
Manuel Fernández was a friend and
confidante of Sor Juana. Not fooled by the
pseudonym, Sor Juana wrote a response
to “Sor Filotea” celebrated worldwide as
La Respuesta. In this response, which
has become a feminist classic, Juana Inés
defends the right of women to engage
in intellectual inquiry. All the while, she
addresses Manuel as if he were indeed a
woman, even though she knew well the
letter was lipstick on a bispo.
Two years later, Sor Juana finally gave
in to her critics and quit writing. She sold
her vast library, scientific devices, and
musical instruments, and gave the money
to charity. In 1695, she died while caring
for other members of her order who were
struck with the plague.
Born to Cook?
Thank heaven Juana Inés managed
to write La Respuesta before authorities
silenced her. In one particularly amusing
section, Sor Juana tells Bishop Fernández
that she was once punished for her intellectual
pursuits by being sent to work in
the kitchen. Her reaction to the punishment
was classic: she turned the kitchen
into a laboratory and a source for philosophical
insight.
Pues ¿qué os pudiera contar, Señora, de
los secretos naturales que he descubierto
estando guisando? Veo que un huevo se
une y fríe en la manteca o aceite y, por contrario,
se despedaza en el almíbar.…¿qué
podemos saber las mujeres sino filosofías
de cocina? …Y yo suelo decir viendo estas
cosillas: si Aritóteles hubiera guisado,
mucho más hubiera escrito. (What can I
tell you, my Lady, of the secrets of nature
I have discovered while cooking? I see that
an egg becomes solid and fries in butter
or oil, while on the contrary it dissolves in
syrup…what can we women know if not
philosophies of the kitchen? …And I say
repeatedly when seeing these little details,
if Aristotle had cooked, he would have
written much more.)
Instead of being imprisoned by the
kitchen, Sor Juana claimed it as a woman’s
space, a source of women’s wisdom so
valuable that a man like Aristotle (and
presumably Manuel Fernández) would do
well to shed their masculine arrogance
and enter that space. Juana Inés wrote
Libro de Cocina (“Cookbook”) with 36
recipes, including desserts and a mole
(“sauce,” from Nahuatl mulli or molli) called
“clemole de Oaxaca” made with cilantro,
garlic, cloves, pepper, cinnamon, and
chiles anchos or pasillas (toasted in butter
with sesame seeds) cooked together in a
saucepan, with pork, sausage, or chicken
added.
Mexican Icon, Gay Patron Saint
Juana Inés has been adopted by the
LGBT community in Mexico as the Gay
equivalent of a patron saint. Her status as
a nun and her fame as a Roman Catholic
theologian have been used by Gay activists
as a means of mediating between
LGBT and Catholic identities. El Clóset
de Sor Juana (“Sister Juana’s Closet”) is a
Lesbian organization named after her that
is dedicated to civil rights for women and
diverse sexual-gender orientations.
Regardless of controversy about her
sexual orientation, Sor Juana is venerated
in Mexico, so much so that she has been
printed on Mexican money. Her picture
has been featured on the 1000 peso and
200 peso note. Her songs are still performed,
and her poem “Hombres necios
“ (“Foolish Men,” in which she scolds men
who insult women for both refusing and
allowing men to have sex with them) is still
popular.
Mexican people’s acceptance of Juana
Inés as a folk hero and a woman who loved
women has no doubt made it easier for
some remarkable changes to take place,
such as the legalization of same-sex
marriage in Mexico City. American LGBT
folklorists would do well to look south for
grassroots movements in which religious
figures have helped, not hindered, the
growth of an openly Gay folk community.
Folklore Series
www.quepasa.osu.edu Autumn Quarter 2010 19

Brave New World
Adjusting and Thriving as a Minority is Key to your Success
By Miguel Guavara
Frustration has been the one feeling at
the forefront of my Ohio State experience.
As I started my journey here during the
autumn of 2008, I quickly became frustrated
with the lack of Latino culture, the
silence of my language, the inability to find
acceptable Latino food, and the mere fact
that I was no longer in my comfort zone
of Houston, Texas. The first year at Ohio
State was quite rough for me as I battled
to seek out my culture on and off campus,
find places where I could fit in, and just
find a way to hold onto my culture and
identity. Every quarter I considered transferring
to a college closer to home. Yet I
knew that leaving an institution as great as
Ohio State would be the biggest mistake I
could make. So, I stayed here through the
cold and snowy winters knowing that I
would have to make sure I stayed involved
enough to forget about home and enjoy
my stay. Soon enough I came to find that
being involved did not offer me the fulfillment
I sought.
From orientation and on, the one
phrase that all students hear the most
is, “Get Involved.” After that first quarter,
I quickly realized I was no longer in the
Latino rich city of Houston. I felt the
absence of my culture and displaced
within an environment drastically different
from the one I knew. When you
are the only Latino in all of your classes
you begin to feel differently about who
you are—you become more cognizant
of your differences, and you begin to
feel isolated. Spending Thanksgiving
alone for the first time made things even
worse. By then I made a real effort to
“Get Involved” on campus, and to me the
best way to stay connected to my Latino
culture was to start Lambda Theta Phi,
the first and largest Latino fraternity. I
pledged during winter quarter and by
spring quarter I was president. I thought,
not only was I a founding brother but
now I am the president as well! How
much more involved could one get as a
freshman? Needless to say I felt more at
home during the second part of the year.
Yet there was still a void; I just did not
feel as if I was doing enough to preserve
my identity and culture. As I headed
home for the summer, I still felt the need
to be more involved in order to stay connected
to my culture.
I began autumn quarter 2009 with
an even more active attempt at being
involved in order to finally make Ohio
State feel like home. I was lucky that
I had great people around me that
pushed me to become involved, told
me about what organizations I could get
involved in, and talked to me as if I were
familia. They all had my best interests
at heart. My realization, with their help,
20

was that I needed to stop complaining
about the Latino situation at Ohio
State and do something about it myself.
I needed to become engaged and fully
invested in the organizations that I was
already a part of and the ones I would
potentially join. I was no longer trying
everything from the vast list of 900 plus
organizations to “Get Involved” with. I
was seeking groups that would help me
achieve my vision of Latino unity, visibility,
and integration across the different
institutional levels.
Even with a small number of groups
to choose from, I knew I could find something
worthwhile by choosing an organization
I could be passionate about
and to which I would be willing to give,
rather than sacrifice, my time. I spent a
considerable amount of time figuring
out what groups I could join in order for
the Latino voice to be heard. I also began
to think about what initiatives I could
push that would help Latinos begin integrating
into the different areas of Ohio
State rather than just being included.
Since this is my vision for Ohio State, I
needed to make sure it is heard. I needed
to inform others of what I felt the university
was lacking and allow those who
possess the same passion and dedication
to assist me with their talents. In
short, I needed to stop complaining and
become engaged.
That being said, in my sophomore
year I found myself interviewing for
as many positions as I could to ensure
that there would be at least one Latino
in the various areas of need within the
university. My first step toward that was
becoming a Diversity Ambassador for
Undergraduate Admissions and First
Year Experience (UAFYE). When I visited
Ohio State in high school, the only other
Latinos I saw were my dad and another
student from Texas. Ohio State is a great
university that should be in consideration
when Latino students think about
college. One way to make Ohio State
accessible or even a real possibility for
Latino high school students is to provide
them with a Latino student representative.
This same sentiment was my driving
desire to join the Office of Minority
Affairs Undergraduate Recruitment
Society (OURS), an organization which
gave the opportunity to go to Ohio
high schools and speak about college.
I made sure that I would have enough
opportunities to see students who are
considering Ohio State. Whether they
had the means to visit or if I had to go
out and speak to high school students,
a Latino was sure to be present. I knew
I could relate to the students and their
families, answer their specific questions,
and understand their concerns because
I share their culture, identify with them,
and most of all, want for them to know
that Ohio State and its Latino community
are ready to embrace them as familia. I
knew I still needed to do more because
the recruitment of Latino students is just
one concern among many.
I also needed to stay engaged in
the Latino student community so that
I could truly understand the concerns
of our community and provide my own
insight. I actively sought out opportunities
that would place me in contact
with fellow students and university
employees so that the two entities could
interact cohesively towards the same
goals. The University-wide Council of
Hispanic Organizations (UCHO) is an
umbrella organization for all the Latino
student groups on campus. UCHO is
the tool for Latino student organizations
to unite, collaborate, and support
each other as well as another means of
funding for these organizations. UCHO
can be the forum for organized Latino
initiatives and recognizing that fact, I no
longer was satisfied in just representing
my fraternity. I wanted to help drive constructive
discussion towards the ideals
and goals that I have and that I know
many other students share. Another area
I saw a need for Latino input was in the
institutionalized area of Undergraduate
Student Government (USG). This forum
is the area where students can be
heard because USG’s main purpose
is to address undergraduate student
issues. Clearly one Latino voice would do
wonders for the community. There are
several positions that any student can
take within USG; the title of my position
Associate Director of Hispanic Outreach.
In this position, I present policies, initiatives,
concerns, and practically anything
that the Latino student population feels
the need to be expressed. This position is
important because it had not been filled
since at least 2006, and quite frankly, an
entire four years of absence is absurd
and intolerable.
There is one initiative that I truly
feel will change the landscape for
Latino students at Ohio State. This
initiative is the creation of a Latino
Learning Community, which is truly
unique compared to the other Learning
Communities on campus. This will go
beyond just the Spanish language; it
will celebrate the richness of Latino
culture. Music, food, language and academics
shall all intertwine as students
share with others who have the same
passion, fascination, and appreciation
for the Latino culture. One great aspect
of this Learning Community is the
academic minor, Latino/a Studies, which
requires 25 hours to complete. This will
ensure that students can still seek their
majors in any field of study, whether it
is engineering, biology, the arts, social
sciences, etc. This initiative will require
that the Ohio State stay committed to
the idea of integration and progress.
Latino students will have the connection
to Latino faculty and staff through
the academic commitment of Latino/a
Studies and L.A.S.E.R. (Latino and Latin
American studies Space for Enrichment
and Research). So far many of the minor
pieces have fallen into place, the need
now is for more students to step up and
help this Learning Community become a
reality.
Make no mistake; The Ohio State
University is dedicated to their Latino
students, faculty and staff. This university
has several departments, funding,
and personnel dedicated to this cause.
In short, the university has done a great
job in including the Latino population,
but progress is what I, and many others,
seek and demand. Therefore, I feel that
the university must move forward and
integrate the Latino population rather
than continuing their lackluster policies
of simple inclusion. As a student, the
opportunity is out there to serve your
community. Do not be satisfied with
being just another member of an organization.
Fully invest yourself in the cause
of your choosing because there is no
greater feeling than knowing you left
even the smallest mark on such a large
and meaningful university as Ohio State.
The need for willing Latino students to
be the champions of their community
is shared throughout all of the different
entities at Ohio State. It is up to you to
better yourself and your community as
this university progresses.
Su Opinión
www.quepasa.osu.edu Autumn Quarter 2010 21

Short Story
Hell to Pay
By Frederick Luis Aldama
Isabel asks the Russo-American septuagenarian
lady how much.
5 dollars, sweetheart.
How about two-fifty, she asks spurred
on after some whispered coaching from
her papa, Luis, a trickster in the line of his
own Luis papa.
Sorry sweetie, but I have to stick to five
dollars or I won’t make anything today.
When a lot of folks choose to harden
knees at the pew, Luis hijo and his almost
four-year old daughter wear out soles
weaving through the resplendent sounds,
sights, and smells of the Swap Meet.
Ever since his so-called turn when
ninesomething, Sunday mornings ceased
being reserved for the spiritually precious.
He lived with Luis, his dad during this
time. Not knowing him well, the parentals
divorced just when Quetzalcóatl stopped
diaper delivery and the post-Formula DTs
quit, he called him Luis—also the protagonist
of this short story’s first name.
Looking back as an adult, our protagonist
is still not sure if Luis papa thought:
A) that the he, Luis hijo, was somehow in
danger of a preternatural reproductive
mishap and needed that birds’n’bee talk;
or B) that another chance might not come
up to give Luis hijo that hand-on-shoulder
CliffNotes talk on On the Origin of Species.
Come summer, he’d be returning north of
the border to his gringa mom.
Whatever the motive, our protagonist’s
spiritualist worldview
(raised
under the bittersweet
spell of
a single mom’s
Catholicism) was
given a radical
shake down.
No Father. No
Son. And certainly
no Holy
Ghost. No Virgin
Mary--either. No
original sin. No
heaven and no
hell.
From here on
out: Just Luis hijo and a world filled with
opposable thumbs, gene mutation ontogenetics,
universal grammar, and causal
and counterfactual thinking—all that he
might need to get down and dirty with the
grime ’n grit of the world.
As family lore would have it, the
incense stench, Liberace priest-glittered
regalia, rancid wine and stale wafer at the
Confirmation sent pubescent Luis papa
into a tailspin. With stomach a churl, he
blazed down the aisle filled with uncles,
aunts, abuelos and abuelas, pushed the
church doors open, then upchucked God,
the Virgin Mary, and baby Jesus all at once.
With religion out, Luis papa knew
the family would just-barely accept his
proposed alternative: Sunday’s at the
library. So a couple of years later he was
spending this day of the week—and then
all his spare hours—reading up on all sorts
of Euro-heretics: Aristotle, Goethe, Marx,
Sartre, de Beauvoir, Hegel, and Spinoza.
Once he began to earn money typing for
a local bank, he used some saved pesos
to go existentialist black: black pants and
turtleneck, black floor to ceiling bedroom.
He also took up chain smoking. A regular
poet maudit wannabe he was.
As the lore would have it, it was this—
and not the 250-pounds of extra weight—
that stopped the heart of his God-fearing
mama Leonor.
It wasn’t so much a legacy of black on
black that passed on to our protagonist.
No. It was the extravagant use of Sundays,
LAS MARAVILLAS MEXICAN MARKET, 233 W 5TH AVE, COLUMBUS, OH 43201
one that defied family and country tradition.
Luis hijo's legacy in turn has become
the Holy Trinity of bric-a-brac, churros, and
the art of the haggle at the local Swap
Meet.
Sundays are certainly the most costly
day of the week: a buck fifty at the gate.
Kids under 2 go free. And our protagonist
has been hit hard of late as an adjunct prof.
at a J.C. in Pinole. Nonetheless, it’s this
regular Sunday trip that makes it all seem
like it will turn out okay.
As a rule, Luis hijo likes to get there
early. Just as the vendors are setting up.
The mango, strawberries, and papaya are
fresh and the smell of pandulce, churros,
and fresh baked cookies fill the air. The
god-awful blend of ranchera music and
narcocorrido rap hasn’t yet begun to
boom.
With the tickets punched, he and Isabel
follow their usual path: to begin in the
middle row, serpentine their way right,
then cross back over the middle, and
follow the same weave movement on the
left side.
His mantra: Keep the mind open and
vision wide. Be ready to telescope into
swift sharp focus and pounce. The place
is chock full of its usual fare: soccer jerseys,
gaucho gear, bunched calcetines, and
chones; guys offering massage and cure-all
Chinese cupping treatments; garage brica-brac
like speed drills, Sawzalls, wrenches,
binoculars, weights, bikes, microwave
ovens; pirated Xbox games and dvds;
anything and everything you can imagine
under the shadow of a 400x300 foot movie
screen.
Our protagonist spots some binocs. A
good looking young, pants-hanging-offthe
ass Middle-Easterner is helming the
stall.
How much, he asks.
Thirty five, he says with an MTV rapstyle
lilt and head-cocked look!
How about twenty. Luis hijo wants to
push and find the edge of the negotiating
boundary.
Nah, man, my boss over there has to
pay me and my pardner for the day and
cover the stall. Plus it’s early. Best I can do
is twenty-eight, bro!
22

How about twenty-five and you throw
in that Craftsman monkey wrench?
No can do, browski.
You’d be willing to lose this deal over
a monkey wrench and a couple of bucks
difference?
He clams up. Doesn’t want to play.
Doesn’t want to throw down and make an
art of the bargain.
Luis hijo walks. Luis papa would've been
proud. To bargain is to see the other in the
eye. It's a personal acknowledgement.
Later he picks up some Bushnell
10X40s for 7 bucks; the guy started at
fifteen, he started at five. They found their
way to the yin-yang, nodding steeped in
satisfaction.
With five dollars still tucked away in
her left-front pocket of her ready-towear
Swap-Meet sweats, Isabel stealthily
scopes the scene once again. Tugging
with one hand and pointing with the
other’s finger, she steers and directs Luis
hijo--her own Luis papa-- to the stall of
her desire. On a table at about Isabel’s
eye-level stand a back row of those Juan-
Diego-at-the-feet Virgin Mary ceramic
casts with like-imaged votive candles
squeezed in between. At the front sit a
row of primed and plumed second-hand
Barbies. Happily sunning themselves,
these 21st century Barbies come in all
shades of the phenotypic spectrum and
sport anything from tennis minis to flor
de piña styled dresses and baroquely
embroidered blouses.
Tug, finger, fire: Isabel sees something
she likes--a sporty blonde and a ball-ready
brunette.
She holds them up to the young Latina
manning the stall.
How much for these two Barbies?
Seis. . .six!
How about 4?
How about 5 and you got yourself a
deal?
You’ll have hell to pay for this, Luisito,
Tata Leonor’s words reverberate.
As Isabel cinches the deal, Luis hijo
thinks how about half price and ya
gotchyourself a deal.
Selected Poetry
On the death of that most excellent lady
Poem by Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz
1651 - 1695, San Miguel Nepantla, Mexico
(Español)
Mueran contigo, Laura, pues moriste,
los afectos que en vano te desean,
los ojos a quien privas de que vean
hermosa luz que a un tiempo
concediste.
Muera mi lira infausta en que influiste
ecos, que lamentables te vocean,
y hasta estos rasgos mal
formados sean
lágrimas negras de mi pluma triste.
Muévase a compasión la
misma muerte,
que, precisa, no pudo perdonarte;
y lamente el amor su amarga suerte,
Pues si antes,
ambicioso de gozarte,
deseó tener ojos para verte,
ya le sirvieran sólo de llorarte.
(English translation)
Let them die with you, Laura, now
you are dead, these longings that
go out to you in vain, these eyes
on whom you once bestowed, a
lovely light never to gleam again.
Soñaste tu canto eternacigarra
Poem by Tatiana Andrade Seiber
Spanish lecturer at OSU, from Bogotá, Colombia
Soñaste tu canto eternacigarra
confio en tu ritmo
ausencia de letargo
canta aislada
canta confiada
falta de espera
nunca anunciada.
Let this unfortunate lyre that echoes
still, to sounds you woke, perish
calling your name, and may these
clumsy scribblings represent, black
tears my pen has shed to ease its pain.
Let Death himself feel pity, and
regret that, bound by his own law,
he could not spare you, and
Love lament the bitter circumstance,
That if once, in his desire for pleasure,
he wished for eyes that they
might feast on you, now weeping is
all those eyes could ever do.
Creative Corner
www.quepasa.osu.edu Autumn Quarter 2010 23

Bianca Alvarez
Life as a Latina Diver at Ohio State University
By Bianca Alvarez
Living in Miami, Florida for almost my
entire life, I was constantly surrounded
by the rich Cuban culture that consumes
the city. That is what I had always known:
a culture composed of salsa music, frijoles
negros, and the Spanish language. I
took the diversity for granted and never
stopped to really notice and appreciate
what surrounded me. Therefore, moving
to Columbus, Ohio for college was not
as much of a culture-shock as I had
anticipated it would be. Of course, the
clubs played different music, the popular
food was not what I was used to, and
English was the language predominantly
spoken, but I enjoyed this new experience.
Although I was suddenly not submerged
in Miami’s heavy Latino population, the
culture I was experiencing was new and
exciting.
It was not long after living in Columbus
before I realized I was missing the things
PHOTOS PROVIDED BY BIANCA ALVAREZ
and people with whom I grew up. Although
I had a supportive community of athletes
that I had met through the Varsity Diving
Team, none really understood my culture
and what my heritage was all about. They
jokingly called me Mexican when they
learned I was Hispanic, which highlighted
the fact the many non-Latinos tend to
think all Hispanics are Mexican. They all
thought it was “cute” when I carried on
conversations with my grandparents in
Spanish, and they asked me repeatedly to
cook Cuban food for them.
For years, I’ve noticed the lack of Latino
participation in the sport of diving. Being
a veteran in the sport, I’ve truly been
able to experience the culture of the
athletes who make up the diving community.
Unfortunately, Hispanics make up
a very small percentage of the total diver
population, which can, at times, make it
a different experience for me as a Latina.
During this year’s USA Diving National
Championships, I took a different perspective
on this discrepancy and really took the
opportunity to notice that although there
were differences, the experience was not
all that different from my norm.
Through several years in the sport,
I’ve been the sole Hispanic American in
the competitive world of US diving. I was
reminded of this lack of top competitive
Latino divers recently at the 2010 USA
Diving National Championships. Not only
was I the only Latina in the Finals of my
3-meter diving event, but also there was
only one other Hispanic female in attendance
at the competition. It is not just
within the United States that there is a lack
of competitive Hispanic-American divers,
but Hispanics in general are missing from
diving all around the world. At the 2008
Olympic Games, there were only three
Hispanics in the finals of all the women’s
events, all of which were Mexican. Among
the men’s events, there were only seven
of forty-eight available spots in the Finals
taken by Hispanics. The 2008 56-member
Olympic swimming and diving squad had
one black and no Hispanics.
A curious question should be asked:
why is there such a deficiency of Latinos
in competitive diving? Some propose
24

“I was recently selected
to the 2012 Olympic
Performance Squad. It's a
select team of a few top
divers in the country that
have the potential to make
it to the next Olympic
Games.” – Bianca Alvarez
2010
2nd place – 2010 Big Ten
Championships on 1 Meter and 3 Meter
2nd place – 2010 USA Diving
National Championships in Texas
“I currently hold the women's record
at OSU's McCorkle Aquatic Center
on 3 meter.” – Bianca Alvarez
that it may be an economic factor. Both
swimming and diving are expensive
sports that require monthly payments
for coaching and practice, in addition to
the travel associated with competition.
Research suggests that Hispanics tend to
be from poorer families, making it more
difficult for Hispanics to engage in high
priced sports. In addition, Spanish television
networks such as Telemundo, which
reach up to 93% of the Hispanic population,
do not do an adequate job covering
many of the non-traditional sports such
as gymnastics, track, and diving. Without
this exposure, parents’ lack the knowledge
to expose their kids to unconventional
sports.
It is my hope that one day, Hispanics
will become more aware of competitive
diving and their potential to excel in the
sport. Eventually, Hispanic-Americans and
Latinos in general will not be alone on the
world class level. With the help of Hispanic
television networks and programs to make
swimming and diving more accessible to
lower income families, excelling in these
sports can potentially become a reality.
2009
2nd place – 2009 USA
National Championships on 1 meter
2008-09 (Red-shirt Season at OSU):
Bianca sat out the season as a red-shirt
2008
2nd place at the 2008 NCAA
National Diving Championships
2007
2007-08 (Freshmen Season at OSU):
Earned All-America honors on the
1- and 3-meter springboard
1st place – 1-meter and 2nd place
– 3-meter at the Ohio State Invitational
Big Ten Diver of the week on two
separate occasions
2006
Member of the 2006 Junior World Team
Owns five Junior National titles
Served as president of National
Honor Society
Mi Experiencia
www.quepasa.osu.edu Autumn Quarter 2010 25

Summer 2010 Graduates
Bachelor’s Degrees
Doctoral Degrees
Summer 2010 Graduates
Name Citizen Major Degree College
Ashwal, Jaclyn Rebecca USA Criminology BA SBS
Bernal, Mario Alberto USA Spanish BA HUM
Calderon, Joanne Yvette USA International Studies BA ASC
Castro, Julian D CO International Studies BA ASC
DeLeon, Danielle Alexis USA Political Science BA SBS
DeLeon, Roger USA International Studies BA ASC
Delgado, Ricardo Alexander USA Accounting BS BUS
Diaz, Martin Lee USA Psychology BS SBS
Dominguez, Mary Ellen USA Hum Dvlp & Fam Sci BS EHE
Duran, John Manuel USA Journalism BA SBS
Flores, Ciara Marie USA Anthropology BA SBS
Hernandez, Matthew USA Psychology BS SBS
Kaleal, Kristen Marie USA Marketing BS BUS
Lembeck, Jeffrey Michael USA Computer & Info Sci BS MPS
Loredo, Kristina Y. USA Animal Sciences BS AGR
Martinez, Juan Carlos Mexico Hum Dvlp & Fam Sci BS EHE
Necamp, Stephen Robert USA Chem Engineering BS ENG
Ortega, Oswaldo Omar USA Avi-Soc & Bhv Sci BA SBS
Perez, Lilian USA Logistics Mang BS BUS
Ramos, Philip James USA Criminology BA SBS
Santiago -Garcia, Karen USA Psychology BA SBS
Serrano, Jacqueline Elizabeth USA Biology BS BIO
Snouffer, Wade F. USA Biology BS BIO
Villanueva-Whaley, Aldo Mexico Economics BA SBS
Ysasi III, Elifonso USA Economics BA SBS
Master's Degrees
Name Citizen Major Degree College
Adaniya, Naomi Martha USA Public Health MPH PBH
Baranski, Andrzej CR Economics MA SBS
Driscoll, Brandon Clinton USA Working Pros MBA BUS
Farfan, Monica A USA Evo Eco & Org Bio MS BIO
Gaetano Adi, Paula Gabriela AR Art MFA ART
Gonzalez, Jamie USA Speech Lang Path MA SBS
Gotthard Real, Alexander Mexico Economics MA SBS
Green, Nicholas J USA Mol Cell & Dev Bio MS BIO
Montoya Rodriguez, Carlos G. HN Civil Engineering MS ENG
Nunez Moran, Emerson Osvaldo Mexico Materials Sci & Eng MS ENG
Roth, Bernardo Diego Mexico Economics MA SBS
Urbiztondo, Rebeccah Alicia USA Veterinary Biosci MS VME
Vargas-Pinto, Pedro Alexis CO Veterinary Biosci MS VME
Vega-Mendoza, Mariana Mexico Spanish & Port MA HUM
Name Citizen Major Degree College
Assef, Roberto Jose Chile Astronomy PHD MPS
Caetano, Pedro Afonso Port Pharmacy PHARMD PHP
Dannhausen, Clinton Alan USA Physical Therapy DPT AMP
Gambina, Federico AR Materials Sci & Eng PHD ENG
Gonzalez-Perez, Maria A. Spain Spanish & Port PHD HUM
Gotardo, Paulo F.U. Brazil Elec & Comp Eng PHD ENG
Obregon, Patrick Anthony USA Edu: Policy & Lead PHD EHE
Pina, Raquel AR Spanish & Port PHD HUM
Rocha, Samuel USA Edu: Policy & Lead PHD EHE
Santiago, Raquel Vanessa USA Physical Therapy DPT AMP
26

Cantina Laredo
Fine Tex Mex Available in Columbus
By Michael J. Alarid, featuring La Gringa
Polaris is a popular place for OSU students
to visit, specifically when they are in need
of new clothing and other specialty
items; it also happens to be the location
of Cantina Laredo, a new restaurant that
offers Mexican food with a southwestern
twist. Situated in the new outdoor section
of Polaris Fashion Place, Cantina Laredo
advertises itself as the home of gourmet
Mexican food, but the menu offers much
more than that; in fact Cantina Laredo is
home to what is unquestionably the best
Tex-Mex food in the city of Columbus.
Accompanied by La Gringa, my new co
reviewer, I entered Cantina Laredo just in
time for dinner. I noticed that the restaurant
has a chic appearance, though there
is a certain relaxed and casual atmosphere
that pervades. Still, this restaurant should
not be considered casual and is certainly
appropriate for a nice evening out with
a date or even a celebration. We were
greeted by a friendly staff, seated, and
chef Leon DeLeon came out to discuss his
menu. As usual, I made my preferences
known: I like traditional Mexican food,
enjoy spicy dishes, and generally do not
prefer seafood while La Gringa was open
to the chef's suggestions.
Our meal began with the Sopa de
Tortilla (Bowl $8.49, Cup $5.99), a delicate
bright colored soup of thicker consistency
with homemade tortilla slivers. I was surprised
by how flavorful the soup was,
an explosion of herbs combined around
small chunks of roasted and well seasoned
chicken. The flavors were absolutely
perfect, and the technique betrayed professional
training. As we finished our cups,
we agreed that such skilled soup making
was a promising sign for what lay ahead.
Our next appetizer, The Cantina
Laredo Platter ($16.29), gave us a great
introduction to the different Mexican
dishes Cantina Laredo has to offer. This
plate features a cheese filled chile relleno,
a tamale, an enchilada, and one fajita beef
taco al carbon. The relleno is the highlight
on the plate: a naturally flavorful poblano
pepper filled with Oaxaca cheese, cilantro,
and covered in a ranchera sauce. The taco
was very good, especially so when eaten
with a lime. The tamale was good, but a
little bit dry while the guacamole garnish
was superb in both its flavor and oily consistency.
For our enchiladas we had the
cheese and onion, which was served in a
traditional Tex-Mex manner, covered in
chili con queso instead of traditional red
sauce. Having spent time in Dallas for my
MA, I particularly enjoyed this dish. A large
dish, this plate might be best ordered as an
appetizer for a group of four.
It was now time for the main course
and as always I asked the chef for suggestions;
he suggested the Carne Asada
Y Camarones (Grilled steak topped with
bacon-wrapped shrimp filled with oaxaca
cheese and jalapeño $23.99). While everything
else had certainly been flavorful,
this was the crown jewel of my meal. The
asada itself was treated and served uncut
in a large flank; tender, juicy, and perfectly
seasoned I savored this steak in the same
manner one might a cut of meat from a
top notch steak house. This was, indeed,
gourmet Mexican food. I tasted the shrimp
(they were, after all, wrapped in bacon!)
and passed them on to La Gringa, who
assured me they were very good. I agreed,
I was devoted to my asada, which is available
alone or in lunch portions at a reasonable
price (Lunch $12.99, Dinner $18.99).
La Gringa ordered the Carnitas (Braised
pork shanks topped with chipotle-wine
sauce $19.99), which is boldly served still
on the bone. The presentation was fantastic
and the flavors matched the beauty of
the dish: smoky, tender, aromatic with a
strong sauce that on it’s own is too bold
but when eaten with the dish is perfectly
complementary. La Gringa could not have
been more pleased, commenting more
than once that the meat seemed to fall
from the bone without effort. I sampled
this dish as well and could not agree with
her conclusions more!
Though we were already quite full, La
Gringa and I could not resist the allure
of dessert. I chose the Mexican Brownie
(brownie with pecans on a sizzling skillet
with Mexican Brandy Butter and vanilla
or cinnamon ice cream $5.99) while my
counterpart was attracted to the MEXICAN
APPLE PIE (sizzled in Mexican Brandy Butter
and topped with choice of cinnamon or
vanilla ice cream $5.99). The deserts were
a show stopper, as guests from around the
restaurant ooed and awed at the sounds
and aromas that came from our tableside!
The flavor was equally as impressive: a
tender brownie that crumbled under the
heat and weight of the ice cream topper,
the Mexican Brandy Butter adding just
enough sweetness to the rich desert. La
Gringa noted that the texture and flavors
of her apple pie were ideal, with a flaky
crust and pronounced cinnamon flavors
that were perfectly balanced with the
Brandy Butter Sauce.
Featuring the best of both Mexican
and Tex-Mex cuisine, Cantina Laredo
takes it’s place as one of the best places
in Columbus for high end Mexican food.
Don’t be fooled by the prices, which may
seem a little high for most students; the
portions are very large (enough for two
meals) and there is no question that you
will get your money’s worth. For my part,
I shall return to Cantina Laredo whenever I
find myself in the Polaris area.
Cantina Laredo
8791 Lyra Drive
Columbus, OH 43240
Phone: (614) 781-1139
www.cantinalaredo.com
Rating System:
5 chiles = Exceptional
4 chiles = Very good
3 chiles = Average
2 chiles = Poor
1 chile = Very poor
$$$$$
Food Review
www.quepasa.osu.edu Autumn Quarter 2010 27

Student Academic Services Building, 3rd Floor
281 West Lane Avenue
Columbus, OH 43210-1132
www.quepasa.osu.edu
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