麻豆传媒映画

麻豆传媒映画 Imperial Valley this fall will launch its new Chicano/a Studies minor program. First proposed in 2021, it will mirror the Chicanx Studies program at 麻豆传媒映画, serving an area where census data show Hispanic and Latino residents account for about 85% of the population. 

鈥淭he idea to make a proposal first began when we conducted a survey to test if we would receive support from students,鈥� said Efren Lopez, English professor at . 鈥淚t was eye opening to see the support from the students and university leaders.鈥�

Student organizations, including the Chicanx Sin Fronteras group, 麻豆传媒映画 Imperial Valley Associated Students leaders, and the inaugural advisory committee for 麻豆传媒映画 Imperial Valley鈥檚 Cross-Cultural Center began discussing the groundwork for its establishment.

鈥淲e knew the new minor program will create a stronger sense of identity and belonging in our campus,鈥� said Lopez. 鈥淭he courses we laid out in the curriculum will give students an accurate and complete history and background to issues that our Chicanx communities have experienced.鈥�

鈥淚 am honored to be part of 麻豆传媒映画 Imperial Valley during this historic period of growth and expansion,鈥� said Vannessa Falcon-Orta, 麻豆传媒映画 Imperial Valley assistant professor. 鈥淭he Chicanx Studies minor epitomizes this progress.鈥�.

The new minor program will cover such topics as social justice, history, U.S.-Mexico border issues, gender issues and Chicanx feminism. Students will be encouraged to partake in research opportunities through various grants and in 麻豆传媒映画 Imperial Valley鈥檚 Transborder Scholar Collaborative, a research initiative dedicated to the social justice of transborder students in education along the U.S.-Mexico borderlands.

鈥淭his minor program will allow students to solidify their degree in a way that they will have full competence and knowledge of many of the issues the Chicanx and Mexican American communities face in our region and in our country,鈥� said Lopez.

The program also received support from 麻豆传媒映画 Imperial Valley professors from different departments, such as psychology, criminal justice and liberal studies. Many emphasized the need for students to have a more competitive profile in the region鈥檚 job market that have a preference for diversity, equity and inclusion commitments.

鈥淥ur new minor program is an effort that has taken a lot of collaboration between our faculty here and our colleagues in San Diego,鈥� said Guillermina Gina Nu帽ez-Mchiri, 麻豆传媒映画 Imperial Valley dean. 鈥淲hen our students go into the workforce with a stronger knowledge base, they will be able to feel more empowered to address the needs of their community and feel proud of their identity.鈥�

The program also aligns with the recent addition of 麻豆传媒映画 Imperial Valley public health tenure-track faculty members, supported through the National Health Institute鈥檚 Faculty United FUERTE grant with the objective of boosting research on Latinx health disparities.

鈥淭he students taught me to never give up and they created a sense of unity that we needed in order to get the proposal going,鈥� said Gilberto Reyes, 麻豆传媒映画 Imperial Valley history instructor. 鈥淐hicanismo has a different meaning to every person. We hope that this new program takes down the negative stigma of Chicano history and culture, and how Imperial Valley is perceived. This will immensely help bring more community and campus life to our university.鈥�