MessageBoard

Tuesday, May 15, 2007
La Raza Wins Leadership Award

Our November 2006 LEAD Voter Registration Campaign was named the best community service activity of the year! The CALR was presented with a UD Leadership Award for the third consecutive time. Congratulations to Matt and Bianca, our LEAD Site Coordinators, for their accomplishments!

Es La Verdad - En La Union Esta La Fuerza !!

Monday, May 14, 2007
La Raza on CNN's Paula Zhan Now

La Raza's response to the racist party held by Phi Sigma Pi members is featured on CNN's Paula Zhan Now. For copies of the footage, please email TheCALR@hotmail.com

Friday, May 11, 2007
President Roselle Issues Statement to University Community

Thursday May 10, 2007
La Raza President Issues Statement to University Community

Wednesday May 9, 2007
Media Coverage of Town Hall Forum

http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=local&id=5286453

http://cbs3.com/video/?id=39573@kyw.dayport.com

http://www.myfoxphilly.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail?contentId=3165517&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=1.1.1

Tuesday May 8, 2007
Town Hall Forum Announced

As many of you know, on May 5, 2007, a handful of students from the University of Delaware organized a racially themed “South of the Border” party.

Pictures of the party were posted online and immediately created an outcry from thousands of people across the nation.

La Raza, Phi Sigma Pi and a never-ending list of other university and community based organizations condemned this type of behavior.

The offending students have offered deep and sincere public apologies, and their organization has pledged to take corrective action against them.

In an effort to begin the healing process, La Raza and Phi Sigma Pi jointly announced a Town Hall forum, to take place tomorrow (May 9) at 8:00pm in the George Read Town Hall.

This forum will serve as an informal and interactive opportunity to engage each other on the deeper issues surrounding the events from a few days ago. As a community, we need to embrace those who offended us, and come together to ensure that something like this never happens again.

The Executive Boards of La Raza and Phi Sigma Pi, along with the dozens of supporting on campus organizations, hope that you will be able to join us in this discussion. Please feel free to forward this notice to all those who may be interested in attending.

Hopefully I’ll see you all tomorrow evening.

**PLEASE NOTE**
In an effort to begin the healing process, La Raza is taking down the names and blurring the faces of the individuals involved.

Sincerely,
Jissell Martinez
President: The Campus Alliance de La Raza

Monday May 7, 2007
CALR CALL to ACTION !!!: Racism Alive and Well at UD!

Racism is alive and well at the University of Delaware, recently illustrated by members of the UD Chapter of Phi Sigma Pi national co-ed honor fraternity.

The Campus Alliance de La Raza identified the members of Phi Sigma Pi as recent participants of a “South of the Border” party that took place on the 5th of May (Pictures Below).

On Monday, May 7, 2007, La Raza engaged in a public awareness campaign, encouraging its community allies and students at all La Raza chapters to take action. Within hours, it was clear that our campaign was a huge success.

We immediately began an open dialogue with the local and national chapters of Phi Sigma Pi in an effort to encourage them to take corrective action. They issued statements, declaring that the conduct of its few members was not an accurate representation of the organization as a whole. They condemned such behavior and offered to work with us in the future to promote cultural sensitivity. Their statements are provided below.

Although the local and national chapters have made it clear that they do not support the conduct of their members, it is important that they take corrective action.

More than lip service is required. We demand that the local and national chapters back up their words with action. Failure to do so will serve as an unfortunate yet public declaration that these organizations indirectly support this type of behavior.

Additionally, the CALR and its supporters thank the University of Delaware for responding so swiftly, but we insist that these students be processed through the Office of Judicial Affairs if any university policies have been violated.

Racism must not be tolerated - especially at our institutions of higher education.

Please note that the CALR invites the offending members of Phi Sigma Pi to send letters of apology addressed to the entire UD community. Letters may be sent to TheCALR@hotmail.com, and if received, they will be posted here.

More updates will be posted as they become available.
.

.All inquiries and letters of support should be forwarded to TheCALR@hotmail.com. Thank you in advance!

...
Thanks to our allies at the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) for bringing these racist acts to our attention.

Es La Verdad – En La Union Esta La Fuerza!
It is true – In Unity is Strength!

~The CALR Executive Board

Saturday, February 3, 2007
Immigration Forum

La Raza will send a delegation to a Forum on Immigration Issues at Widner University School of Law on February 4th, from 4-6pm in the Ruby R. Vale Moot Courtroom.

The program will be “City of Hazelton, PA v. Illegal Immigration, A Discussion of Local Initiatives to Challenge Undocumented Immigration”

Speakers/panelists will be:

Mayor of the City of Hazelton – who pushed this initiative in Hazelton forward
Solicitor for the City of Hazelton, Pa
Prof. Alan E Garfield – profesor of Law, Widener
Maria Matos – Exec. Director of the Latin American Community Center
Benjamin Johnson, Director of the Immigration Policy Center in Wilmington

Monday, January 29, 2007
La Raza Expands to West Chester University !

The NCLR Pilot Program (CALR) at the University of Delaware has proven to be a huge success, thus the CALR is proud to announce that it has just established its second chapter at West Chester University.

http://www.campuslaraza.org

Tuesday, November 21, 2006
The Review

Dear CALR members,

Below is CALR's official response to today's edition of The Review. For an electronic copy of the article, please click below.

http://www.udreview.com/media/storage/paper781/news/2006/11/21/News/Filling.Roselles.Shoes-2505006.shtml?norewrite200611210158&sourcedomain=www.udreview.com
_________________________________________________________

I am proud to have had the opportunity to meet both Presidential candidates and listen to each of their opinions. I am very disappointed in the way in which candidate number one, Dr. Harker, was exemplified in such a positive manner while the second candidate, Dr. Hogan, was not.

This article is bias. It fails to mention how Dr. Hogan is passionate about making the voices of students and faculty louder while making education more accessible. Through his official capacity at previous universities, Dr. Hogan has increased the availability of funding and scholarships for students, as exemplified in his resume and all he has accomplished.

I was the individual who asked Dr. Hogan the question about the "lack of buildings". This is not an adequate representation of the inquiry. Dr. Hogan was asked the following: “Issues that underrepresented communities face stem from the administration failing to recognize minorities as distinct groups. This is exemplified in the proposed conversion of the Center for Black Culture to the ‘Multicultural Center’. Instead of having, for example, a Center for Black Culture separate from a Latino Center, as seen in a variety of universities, it seems as though we are seen as one group instead of two or more distinct communities. What are your views on these issues?”

Not only was the question written incorrectly but his response was taken out of context.

This is yet another illustration of The Review failing to accurately capture the essence of issues important to the university community.

Jissell Martinez
President of the Campus Alliance de La Raza
Vice President of Chi Upsilon Sigma National Latin Sorority, Inc

Friday, October 27, 2006
Election Day Poll Monitoring

The Campus Alliance de La Raza will be monitoring the polls on Election Day, November 7, 2006.

Join us in protecting the vote!

We will be monitoring sites in Wilmington and possibly Philadelphia throughout the day. You can commit as little or as much time as you like. We will have convoys going back and forth from campus so we will be able to accommodate you.

Our parent organization, the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), http://www.nclr.org, will host a mini-training conference call on Tuesday, October 31st, from 1:30-3:00pm Eastern time (10:30am Pacific, 11:30am Mountain, 12:30pm Central). The training piece will only last 1 hour, with 30 additional minutes for questions.

If you would like to join us in protecting the vote, please email TheCALR@hotmail.com with your name and cell phone number and try to participate in the conference call next week.

We also encourage you to contact our Empowerment Committee Co-Chairs, Matt Stieglitz at 973-477-7643 and Bianca Mojica at 908-917-3852 to pledge your support.

If you are a board member of a student organization that wants to co-sponsor this initiative with us, please contact Matt or Bianca asap! We have an obligation to protect the rights of our brothers and sisters at the polls !!

Es La Verdad – En La Union Esta La Fuerza !! It Is The Truth – In Unity Is Strength ¡!

Details of the conference call are below:

____________________________

Call-in information:
Phone Number: 1-866-352-3799
Meeting Number: *2977643* (please enter star before and after the number)

We will cover basics on how to get set up for poll monitoring, what you need to know to maintain nonpartisan rules, and materials that can help you and your volunteers at the polls on Election Day. If you have any questions before the call, please get in touch with Flavia Jimenez – fjimenez@nclr.org. We have the capacity to handle more people on this call than what we had respond, so please forward this email/call-in info to your networks or other advocates who may be interested in hitting the streets on Election Day in order to protect the vote!

Thanks,
Lindsay

Lindsay Daniels
National Council of La Raza
(202) 776-1572
(202) 776-1794 (fax)

If you need help finding your polling place or have questions about the voting process, call the bilingual hotline 1-888-Ve-Y-Vota.

Thursday, October 26, 2006
THE TRUTH ABOUT THE NCLR

Washington, DC – The National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S., today released an "open letter to the public" responding to a set of allegations reiterated last month by Congressman Charlie Norwood (R-GA) about NCLR's work, beliefs, and policy positions.

"We have made every effort to respond directly to Congressman Norwood to no avail, leading us to suspect that he is not that interested in hearing what the facts are. We believe our track record as a respected American institution helping to open the door to the American Dream for millions of Latinos speaks for itself," stated Janet Murguía, NCLR President and CEO.

"That being said, we cannot let these false, unwarranted, and malicious attacks on our organization go unanswered, so we are using this as an opportunity to set the record straight about who we are and what we stand for," concluded Murguía.

The full response is posted and available for download on the NCLR website, www.nclr.org. Below is the text of the response's cover letter:

Those familiar with the work of the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) know that we are the largest Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S., that we proudly represent nearly 300 Affiliates - community-based organizations providing a range of essential services to millions of Latinos and others in need - and that we are an American institution committed to strengthening this nation by promoting the advancement of Latino families.

We are also among the most recognized organizations in the nonprofit sector. Our work in the health arena has been honored by the Surgeon General of the United States and by numerous professional organizations. Both our former President/CEO and the current Chair of our Board of Directors have earned the prestigious Hubert H. Humphrey Civil Rights Award by the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, and The Nonprofit Times has recognized our current leadership with its coveted "Power and Influence Top 50" award, honoring the top 50 leaders shaping the nonprofit world.

We recognize that some people might be confused about our organization's name, our mission, and our work. Much of this is understandable. Compared to some of our venerable counterparts in the civil rights and advocacy community, we are a relatively young institution, representing Latinos, an historically disadvantaged and oft-misunderstood ethnic minority. We have a Spanish term in our name, "La Raza," (meaning "the people" or "community") which is easily mistranslated. Furthermore, we are engaged in some of the most controversial issues of our time, which we believe is essential if we are to stay true to our mission.

As an advocacy organization engaged in the public arena, we know that some will disagree with our views. As Americans committed to basic civil rights and civil liberties, we respect anyone's right to do so.

But we are also convinced that some critics are willfully distorting the facts and deliberately mischaracterizing our organization and our work. Recently, we have been the subject of a number of ad hominem attacks that we believe cross the line of civility in public discourse.

At times, we have ignored these attacks, preferring to invest our precious time and resources in our work, believing that the quality of the work speaks for itself. At other times, we have responded in a civil fashion, through private correspondence or by requesting a meeting with a critic so we can discuss our differences. However, it is becoming increasingly difficult to do this in every case, especially when our private requests for civil discussion are responded to with further unfounded attacks, often echoed in the media as if they were accurate, which they are not.

So, today we are engaging in an unprecedented step to make sure that the record is as clear and accessible as we can possibly make it. In response to a series of articles and press releases by Rep. Charlie Norwood (R-GA) disparaging our organization, we are publishing a full accounting of and links to his charges (many of which have been echoed in some media outlets), our responses, and related materials. We do so in the interest of full disclosure and in the spirit of complete transparency. We trust that, after reviewing all of these materials, readers will come to their own conclusions about the merits of these and similar attacks which we have been subjected to.

Janet Murguía
President and CEO
National Council of La Raza

###

Sunday, October 8, 2006
New Additions to CALR Executive Board

The Campus Alliance de La Raza is proud to announce the addition of the following members to our Executive Board.

Jared Maldonado – Historian
Antonia Donato – Historian
Julian Tamayo – Freshmen Class Representative
Jenna Ali – Junior CALR Senator
Kat Castano – Assistant Director of Community Service and Philanthropic Endeavors
Sharron Pozzo - Assistant Director of Community Service and Philanthropic Endeavors
Keisha Wright – Senior Class Representative
Ashley Warren – Assistant Public Relations Director
Monique Anduze – Graduate Student Advisor and LRAA Board Member
Jonathan Martinez – Graduate Student Advisor and LRAA Board Member
Shani Gibson – Graduate Student Advisor and LRAA Board Member

We laud these members of our community for stepping up to serve the interests of minority students across campus and throughout the nation. We eagerly look forward to their future contributions to the CALR and warmly embrace them as brothers and sisters of our family.

If you see these new Board members and advisors around campus, be sure to show love and thank them for their commitment to the success of minorities everywhere!

We still have a few positions available, visit our living website at http://udel.edu/stu-org/CALR to find out who you too can get involved!

Es La Verdad, En La Union Esta La Fuerza !!

The Campus Alliance de La Raza

Saturday, October 28, 2006
NCLR LEAD

The Latino Education and Advocacy Day (LEAD) is a national college day of action that will take place during Hispanic Heritage Month, on Monday, October 2, 2006. Close to 100 colleges and universities are signed up to participate in LEAD, which helps continue the work that is already done on campuses and hopes to bring relevant issues to more young Latino leaders. LEAD aims to assist college campus organizations in informing and mobilizing their student body and surrounding community on issues that are important to Latino youth, and specifically on the importance of young Latino representation in the political process.

Latino college campus organizations are an essential part of the Latino community’s efforts to bring about positive social change. They also play an important role in helping young activists continue to develop their leadership skills. Many campuses and student organizations are already involved in Latino movements working toward immigration reform, the importance of the Latino vote, and many other issues. Now is the time to join this national effort to highlight those activities and encourage more youth to get involved throughout the country!

Watch Out For La Raza On October 2 !! We have a voter registration campaign effective immediately, as well as events planned up to and including the Day of LEAD !!

En La Union Esta La Fuerza !!!

Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Voter Registration Campaign

Dear Voter Registration Activists,

This email is exclusively for the LEAD campuses that are performing VOTER REGISTRATION DRIVES! (If your organization wasn’t originally planning to do VR, you can still change you mind and enter the competition!) LEAD is a great way to spread the word on the importance of voting and we challenge you to register as many people possible! As an incentive, each school organization will compete to see who can register the most voters and the winner will receive a $500.00 dollar award for their organization from NCLR's voter registration project.   (Please note that for legal reasons, the award can only be given to student organizations that are officially recognized on their campus, documentation of this may be requested.)

Set a goal for your organization! We recommend 50-100 registrations, but exceeding that amount would be superb! We are in the process of shipping out shirts, posters, stickers, and a cd which has video public service announcements (psa) on voting, which you can show during the drive or watch to get pumped up for the event!

(NOTE** Although you should hold events on LEAD - October 2nd as well, you can (and should) begin registering voters right now to meet your goal.)

To verify that the registrations were collected and receive proper credit, you will need to send us a photocopy of each registration card along with the attached "batch sheet" to NCLR for verification. NCLR will cover the cost of the photocopying and postage and shipping (upon submission of receipts). Following the conclusion of LEAD, NCLR will announce the winning group.

Before you accept this challenge, we need:

An email to mmendoza@nclr.org with the mailing address to where you need the materials sent ASAP, so that you can receive your materials soon.   We plan to send them by 2-day mail.

A numerical goal of the voter registrations you hope to collect. (Obviously you can go over this number to try to win, but give us the minimum you expect to gather).

Once we receive this information, you will be officially considered part of the Voter Reg. competition! Thank you for participating in such a huge event!

Good Luck,

The NCLR LEAD Team

Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Our Letter to the BSU

Greeting Twanna (President of the BSU)

I just wanted to provide you with a written review of our proposal, in the event that it may become useful for you when you present it to your board.

Last year – The Black Student Union, La Raza and Residence Life worked together in an “Empowerment Campaign” to allow over 110 students to participate in the Millions More March in Washington, D.C. La Raza would like to continue to build off of that relationship.

Thus, we introduce to you the 2006/2007 University of Delaware Empowerment Campaign, this year with a focus on voter registration of university students, especially minority students.

Here are the logistics –
• On September 22, 2006 – a first barrage of emails with hit the Christiana Towers, the Rodney, Dickinson, and Independence Complexes. The emails will encourage residents to go to http://www.govote.org. This site will allow students to register to vote.
• Once at the site, students fill out a voter registration form that is specific for their state, print it, sign it and then hand it over to an RA, or a BSU or La Raza Executive Member.
• The forms then must make their way to Craig Aleman’s office mailbox (behind the commons front desk) by October 4th at noon.
• Residence Life will be paying for the postage of the forms – so Craig Aleman will send the forms to their respective state elections offices.
• On October 2, 2006 from 5pm until 10pm – members of Residence Life, La Raza and the BSU will have a table in the Commons where we will register voters. The table will feature information on all three organizations, how to get involved, but more importantly, how the three have worked together in the past and how they will continue to build on their relationships.
• On October 4th, La Raza has a kiosk reserved in Trabant from 10am-2pm. It would be great if BSU members could come and hang out and register voters next to their La Raza counterparts. We would encourage the BSU to bring any organizational information that they would like to distribute.

On October 4th at 4:30pm – Residence Life Staff tallies and mails all the voter registration forms.

Our numerical goal = 200.

Monday, September 18, 2006
Message From The Chair

Hello Everyone,

I want to send my recognition and congratulations to the new undergraduate board. Craig, Mirian, Guillermo, and I are all working hard on our end to provide as much support as possible. We are all crunched for time but we promise to be as accessible as possible.

I work 9-5 and have real estate classes from 6:30-9:30 on M,W,R. If you need to reach me, you can email me at this address (mkphilip@udel.edu). I'll answer your messages as quickly as possible.

Remember – no one else does what we do. Consider it a privilege and an honor to be associated with this organization!

En La Union Esta La Fuerza!!!

Peace and God Bless,

Manoj

Monday, September 18, 2006
LRAA Bios

Hey Fam

Quick Favor - please submit your bios to me asap so I can put them up on the La Raza Alumni Association (LRAA) Website.

A few paragraphs will be fine - undergrad degree - current degree - place of employment - what you're doing, what you've accomplished, your goals, etc.

For a few examples, visit the following:
http://udel.edu/stu-org/CALR/LRAA_Public_Allies.html

It's important that we remain accessible for future minority students here at UofD.

Manoj and I are working hard on getting things going - give us a little more time - Manoj, who is co-chairing the Alumni Association with Mirian, is taking Real Estate classes and I am forced to contend with both the LSAT and Law School Application process.

We should have our quarterly meeting (in person or via teleconference) in the next few months.

Things are however coming along very well. The undergrad board is stronger than ever - we have an army of graduate student advisors - and the undergrads have an array of initiatives planned - you all should be proud.

Im sure you're busy - so madd love to you. Keep the thoughts, prayers and money coming !!

Talk soon --

En La Union Esta La Fuerza !!

~CMA

Thursday, September 14, 2006
We Need a Solution, Not a Fence! Take Action!

House of Representatives to Vote on More Enforcement Measures

Instead of working on an immigration compromise that a majority of Americans agree is a priority, Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives held hearings all over the country this past summer. With “the facts gathered” during these field hearings, Congress has only managed to provide bills on border fencing and other enforcement measures.
The first of these non-solutions will be introduced today, which is why we need you to act now!

The “Secure Fence Act” (H.R. 6061), which will be introduced in the House of Representatives today, would authorize more than 700 additional miles of fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border.

We don’t need more fencing – we need a real solution. We need a bill that will legalize the undocumented people currently in the U.S., allow future workers to enter legally, reunite families, and provide worker protections.

We will be sending you additional information and action alerts over the next two weeks before Congress goes on recess. We urge you to send messages to your representative. We cannot allow Congress to continue to use election year delay tactics and not move toward real solutions.

Take Action!

Contact your representatives NOW and urge them to vote “No” on H.R 6061. Tell them that instead of more enforcement you want to see real comprehensive immigration reform that:

1. Legalizes the 12 million undocumented immigrants living in this country
2. Reduces family immigration backlogs
3. Creates legal channels for needed workers in the future
4. Protects the rights of all workers

Tuesday, September 12, 2006
New Immigration Journalist at the News Journal

Dear friends and colleagues,

I would like to take a few moments to first thank you for your kind response to my last humble request to participate in the immigration round table discussion @ the News Journal. In my opinion, the immigration series was quite involved and representative of the multi-faceted topic of immigration.

Today, I am writing to introduce you to a new reporter with the NJ, Summer Harlow, who will be covering immigration and the Hispanic community.

Summer has bachelors degrees in Spanish and Journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia, and has just completed her master’s degree in Latin American studies at the University of Texas-Austin.

During her 5-year tenure at the Kansas City Star in Missouri she covered city government, and most recently, she worked at the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas. She is fluent in both Spanish and Portuguese.

Please join me as we welcome Summer to Delaware and to our communities. Here's her contact info:

Summer Harlow
tel: 302.324.2794
email: sharlow@delawareonline.com

As always, mil gracias y saludos,

Ceci

Friday, September 8, 2006
Report: Blacks and Latinos pay more for mortgages

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14733781/

Wednesday, September 6, 2006
La Raza In Trabant !!

Dear CALR members,

Today, Campus Alliance de la Raza will at Trabant (Kiosk B) from 10AM-2PM. Not only will we be advertising for our 1st General Meeting which will be held Tuesday September 19th in Purnell 115 at 5PM, but we will also be educating people about CALR along with registering people to vote. Please come out and support CALR by stopping by our kiosk.

Also, don't forget to support our sister organization, HOLA, in their first general meeting of the semester which will be held today at 5PM in Trabant room 209/211. If you have purchased a CALR t-shirt show your support by wearing it. If you haven't purchased one, I strongly encourage you to get one ASAP (quality fabric, doesn't fade, looks great) especially since they are ONLY $10 :)

If you have any questions please email me.

Sincerely,
Jissell Martinez
2006-2007 President of the Campus Alliance de La Raza

Wednesday, September 6, 2006
Register To Vote !!

Sunday, August 20, 2006
Bringing Overlooked History to Light: Minority Communities Push for More Complete, Inclusive American history

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14440303/

Friday, June 23, 2006
Immigration Roundtable Discussion

Dear CALR members,

This upcoming Thursday June 29, 2006 the Continental Africa Network in conjuction with the Delaware News Journal will present an "Immigration Roundtable" that will highlight the recent immigration reform bills. This is an event YOU DONT WANT TO MISS and is a great opportunity for you to get the insider of how this reform bill will not only impact Latinos but ALL immigrants including those from Africa, Europe, and Asia.

This event will take place: The News Journal Building--950 W. Basin Rd. Wilmington, DE 19720 from 6:30-8:00pm.

You must RSVP so please contact either Kent Steinriede (302-324-2894 or ksteinriede@delawareonline.com) OR Akinwale Ojomo (302-981-9335 or coafricannet@aol.com)

Also, be sure to let me know if you will be interested in attend since I will be there as well.

I hope you are all having a great & productive summer!

Sincerely,
Jissell Martinez
President

Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Local Immigration Discussion on Cooperation

http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060611/NEWS/606110323/1006

Tuesday, June 13, 2006
July 6th Event

Dear Campus Alliance de La Raza members,

There is an interesting event that will take place on campus on Thursday July 6 at 7:30pm in Memorial Hall Room 111. The Newark Local of the Delaware Green Party will be presenting Dr. Steven Freeman of the University of Pennsylvania, coauthor of the new book, "Was the 2004 Presidential Election Stolen? Exit Polls, Election Fraud & the Official Count".

If you are interested in attending please email me at Jissell@udel.edu or just simply respond to this email.

This will be a great opportunity to expand your horizons by taking advantage of all the events that are going on this summer.

Enjoy your summer!!!!!!

Sincerely,

Jissell Martinez

Tuesday, June 6, 2006
This Saturday

Dear Campus Alliance de la Raza members,

This Saturday June 10, 2006, the A. Philip Randolph Institute will be holding thier monthly meeting in Wilmington, Delaware at 10am. This meeting will feature a discussion and panel that will speak about the hottest topic in the media: IMMIGRATION. The discussion will feature various leaders. The main purpose is to allay concerns and misconceptions about immigration and forge unity around common and progressive issues among the labor, civil rights, and immigrant communities

APRI draw 50 to 80 people each month with a rich representation of labor leaders from the UAW, ATU, Steelworkers, IBEW and others, representatives of the U. of Delaware Campus Alliance de la Raza, and numerous civic associations, as well as public officials from the State House of Representatives, New Castle County Council, and Wilmington City Council.

If you are INTERESTED in joining me and various other members from CALR, please contact me via email at Jissell@udel.edu or you may simply respond to this email address.

Sincerely,

Jissell Martinez

Monday, June 5, 2006
ALMA Awards Tonight

La Raza’s parent organization – The National Council of La Raza (http://www.nclr.org) – is airing the ALMA Awards tonight (Monday, June 5, 2006) at 9:30pm on ABC. The host this year is none other than Eva Longoria of Desperate Housewives.

The ALMA Awards was created in 1995 as part of NCLR's strategy to promote fair, accurate, and balanced portrayals of Latinos in television, film, and music. Born out of a direct response to negative stereotyping of Latinos in entertainment, these awards honor Latino performers for their outstanding artistic achievement, impact, and enhancement of the image of Latinos.

This show is the only Latino-themed prime-time awards special produced on any of the four major English-language networks. The show was named "ALMA" (Spanish for "spirit" or "soul") which represents the determined spirit of the Latino people in an effort to reflect the spirit as well as the scope of the awards program.

For more info and to secure a complete list of tonight’s performers and presenters, please feel free to visit:

http://www.almaawards.com/home.html

En La Union Esta La Fuerza !!

Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Campus Progress Conference

It's Conference Time Once Again ... If You Are Interested In Attending This Event, Apply Now !! They Only Accept A Set Amount Of People - Last Year, La Raza Had The Opportunity To Meet President Clinton At This Event - This Year's Keynote Is Senator Barak Obama -

www.campusprogress.org/dcconference

The La Raza Alumni Association WILL PROVIDE LODGING AND TRANSPORTATION in DC if you are selected to go. Just Get That Application In !!

En La Union Esta La Fuerza !!

~The Board of Directors of The La Raza Alumni Association

Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Meeting Today

This is a friendly reminder that we will be having our last board meeting of the semester today at 7:30pm in my room 711 Christiana West Towers. We would have had it in the Christiana Commons; but the room is unavailable. This is a really important meeting in order make final decisions for next semester.

Good luck on finals!

Sincerely,
Jissell Martinez

Friday, May 19, 2006
Immigration Update

It's been a busy week down at Capital Hill - for a comprehensive update, including the status of many amendments, please click here.

Friday, May 12, 2006
Delaware Alum Sends Love

Hello,

My name is Rene M. Diaz and I am sending this email to tell your organization to keep up the good work. I graduated the University of Delaware in January of 2002 and I remember that during my time there, Latinos were struggling just to have a Latino academic advisor position created within the school to service our population. It looks like things have come a long way since then. I currently live in Sussex County Delaware where we have recently created a coalition called The Delaware Hispanic Coalition in conjunction with Mexicanos Sin Fronteras a DC based org, in response to the recent attacks that our people have faced due to HR 4437 and current immigration legislation that is being proposed. We have organized protests (in Georgetown Delaware, and a trip to Washington DC) as well as written countless articles and been guests on both radio and tv programs fighting for Latinos/Hispanic rights. Our organization is a grassroots organization and therefore we don't have money to donate but, I just wanted to send this email to your org. to commend what you are doing. If there is any way I can help please let me know.

Sincerely,

Rene M. Diaz

Friday, May 12, 2006
APRI Delegation Tomorrow

Although La Raza is officially "inactive" during the month of May, we are sending a Delegation to the APRI Institute in Wilmington tomorrow from 10:00am until noon.

The delegation leaves Newark promptly at 9:30am.

http://www.apri.org/

The A. Philip Randolph Institute, the "home of the black trade unionists", has been an important ally for La Raza these last few years. These individuals are significant players within the regional African American community and La Raza works closely with them with respect to advancing our mutual agendas.

Samuel Rivera and Morin Stewart are heading our delegation tomorrow – if you are interested in attending, please contact Sam at 302-981-0240.

Bring your business cards !! This is a great opportunity to network with individuals making moves.

En La Union Esta La Fuerza !!

~The CALR Executive Team

Friday, May 12, 2006
La Raza Wins Another Leadership Award !!

La Raza won another Leadership Award from the University of Delaware for our efforts in the Annual Book Drive where we collected over 2,200 books for distribution to low income children.

Thursday, May 11, 2006
Leadership Awards Today

Hey Guys:

This is just a reminder that the Student Leadership Awards ceremony is today may 11t at 5 pm in the Trabant Multipurpose room. You're welcome to attend if you're interested, Melody, Jissell, and I will be there so just let any of us know if you're going.

Also, if you are not doing anything between 10am to 2pm this friday, it would be greatly appreciated if you make your way to one of the kiosks in trabant in order for us to sell our exam grams!!! I know everyone is busy with finals coming up and everything, but we could really use your help.

Thanks =]
Jessica Ramirez

Thursday, May 11, 2006
T-Shirts Are In !!

Hey,
T-shirts are finally here!! Jissell and myself will be collecting money so you can get your shirt. Please just give us a call ASAP and we will get you your shirt as soon as we get our money.

My cell – 484-995-2036
Jissell cell – 302-230-1310

Thanks
Guillermo

Monday, May 8, 2006
The La Raza Alumni Association

Dear La Raza Alumni,

We have a vision for our next step in our mission to advance minority affairs. Please visit the following link and provide me with feedback.

http://udel.edu/stu-org/CALR/LRIA.html

We obviously would like you all to join us in this very long term initiative. For some of us, it may be a few more years before we finish school; however, this initiative will benefit heavily from the expertise in the arenas (business/corporate, legal, academic, public, nonprofit) that you all will command.

As of now, the Alumni Association is informally recognized by the University. Formal recognition will be granted sometime in the Spring/Summer of 2007.

Please let us know what you think – together, we can and will make this happen and our accomplishments will have a lasting legacy for minority students at the University of Delaware.

Craig Aleman
Guillermo Febres

Craig de Mariana Aleman
Advisor: The Campus Alliance de La Raza
Hall Director: Christiana East Tower
Ronald E. McNair Scholar
En La Union Esta La Fuerza !!

Monday, May 8, 2006
Final Exams Are Coming !!

Send Someone an Exam Gram to Show You Care!!

$3.00 each or 2 for $5.00

All Proceeds Go To The Cubanito Scholarship Fund!!

Exam Grams Will Be Delivered To Any On Campus Address

To Purchase An Exam Gram, Please See The RA On Floors 8,10,12,14, and 16 in the East Tower, or an RA on floors 1,3,5,7,9 of the West Tower or any La Raza Executive Board member starting Monday May 8, 2006.

Each Exam Gram will consist of a reusable bag w/ handle, a personalized note from you & the following: Mechanical Pencil, Pen, Candy, ,Sticky Notes, Paper Clips, Gum, Chocolate, Stickers, Notecards, Erasers

Sponsored By: The Office of Residence Life, The Transfer Exchange Council, & La Raza

Sunday, May 7, 2006
CALR Call To Action !!

Looks as if immigrants in Sussex County sometimes aren't even considered human ... please read below and spread the word.

Please call any of these following places to voice concern. Take action - the Georgetown DE Police are FAILING to protect Latinos and appropriately document crimes when they happen !!!

Whats worse: the police department admitted that things like this happen all the time !!

En La Union Esta La Fuerza !!!!

Call La Esperanza at 854-9262 for further details.

Georgetown DE Police Department: (302) 856-6613
Governor Minner’s Office: 302-577-3210
Senator Tom Carper: DC Office - 202-224-2441
Senator Tom Carper: Wilmington Office - 302-573-6291
Representative Mike Castle: Georgetown Office: 302-856-3334
Representative Mike Castle: Wilmington Office: 302-428-1903
Representative Mike Castle: DC Office: 202-225-4165
Senator Joseph Biden: Wilmington Office: 302-573-6345
Senator Joseph Biden: DC Office: 202-224-5042
Senator Joseph Biden: Milford Office: 302-424-8090

From: fernandoguajardo@discoverfinancial.com

A 33 year old Hispanic Male from Georgetown was beaten, robbed, and set on fire on April 4th. Earlier this week a temp agency contacted La Esperanza seeking assistance for the Victim who is now hospitalized in PA with 3rd degree burns to one of his legs . La Esperanza confirmed the gruesome crime earlier today after speaking to the Georgetown PD and the Victim. The Victim claims he was approached by two males demanding money at approximately 2:00 PM on April 4th. He was hit in the back of the head and dragged into a wooded area where he was forced over a fire and robbed of $400. Both men held his arms as his pants and one of his sneakers melted and became fully engulfed in flames. The men then ran as the Victim dropped to the ground and tried to put the flames out. He made his way of the woods and called for help. He did not report the crime until two days later for fear of deportation. To add insult to injury, the police officer who responded to the call did not report the incident as criminal, the incident did not hit the local news, and was not forwarded for further investigation.

This is all I have for now. I am requesting that the Governor's Office to look into this matter. This is a gruesome crime that should not go un-investigated, unpunished, or ignored. Please call me or Zaida, 854-9262 at La Esperanza for further details.

Fernando N. Guajardo
Chair, Governor's Advisory Council on Hispanic Affairs

Saturday, May 6, 2006
2006/2007 Executive Board Results

Congratulations to your 2006/2007 La Raza Executive Board – make sure you show some love when you see them on campus!

Also, if you need a study break, check out La Raza’s site – we just added over 1200 pictures from our Annual Retreat in Washington DC.

http://udel.edu/stu-org/CALR/CALR.html

En La Union Esta La Fuerza !!!

President:
Jissell Martinez

Executive Vice President:
Jessica Ramirez

Vice President of Delegation and Latino Affairs:
Christina Graciano

Vice President of Finance:
Don Lilley

The Vice President of Administration:
Matt Stieglitz

The CALR Senator:
Morin Stewart

The Director of Philanthropic Endeavors:
Desi Shahu

The CALR Director of Programming:
Justin Melis, Cesar Lopez

Public Relations Officer:
Lorraine Makone

President of HOLA:
Claudia Rodriguez

Thursday, April 6, 2006
CALR Elections

Nominations Will Be Accepted Online From April 5th at 5:00pm until TBA

The CALR Elections Take Place April 26th at 5:00pm in Trabant 209/211

What Is The Campus Alliance de La Raza ?!

The Campus Alliance de La Raza (CALR) is part of a network of college student organizations that works closely with The National Council de La Raza (NCLR) to increase youth leadership and advance positive social change on University campuses, in Latino communities, and throughout the United States. The CALR rests on two important pillars: 1) Advocacy in Pursuit of the Advancement of the Latino Agenda and 2) The Intellectual and Social Development of our Members.

The Campus Alliance of La Raza is the Latino Student Union at the
University of Delaware

Click Here For More Election Info

Wednesday, April 5, 2006
2006/2007 Executive Board Nominations

La Raza is now accepting nominations for the 2006/2007 Executive Board. Elections will take place on April 26th at 5:00pm in Trabant 209/211.

Check out the site and submit your nominations online today !!
http://udel.edu/stu-org/CALR/Election06.html

Question: Who is eligible to run for the Executive Board of La Raza?
Answer: Anyone (from any background) who believes in the mission of the organization.

Question: Why Join The Board Of La Raza ?!

Answer: The Campus Alliance de La Raza is one of the most influential organizations on campus and in the region.

UD La Raza has a solid reputation as a moderate organization that firmly grasps policy issues. We are highly regarded by media outlets such as local radio stations as well as the News Journal, El Sol & El Tiempo Latino. We are also closely affiliated with politicians on both sides of the isle, as well as with Governor Minner and her Advisory Council on Hispanic Affairs. Community leaders often turn to us for assistance with respect to their private initiatives and again hold us in high esteem.

These relationships wouldn't have materialized without a history of responsibility.

Our Executive Board members are Resident Assistants, Hall Directors, Presidents of Fraternities and Sororities, Board of Director Members for prominent Delaware based corporations, Ronald E. McNair Scholars, Gates Millennium Scholars, Research Assistants, Legislative Interns, Blue Hen Ambassadors, & Executive Board Members of other influential organizations on campus.

Our organization has hosted international dignitaries, combated hate on every level, hosted Town Hall Forums to address the needs of minority students on campus, and allied with our African American Counterparts: The Black Student Union and other organizations to promote mutual agendas, including sending students to participate in the Millions More March in Washington DC.

Our organization advances the Latino Agenda, promotes excellence among minority students academically and socially, conducts research for The Governor's Advisory Council on Hispanic Affairs, registers hundreds of new voters, attends leadership development conferences around the country, and travels all of the world in the pursuit of spreading our mission and ideals.

More Importantly, We Are A Family With The Motto: En La Union Esta La Fuerza, or In Unity Is Strength.

Being a member of La Raza is a life-long commitment. We must pull each other up FOR LIFE, because if we don’t - no one else will !!

Check out our site and photo gallery for more info !!

Submit Your Nomination, For Yourself Or Someone Else, Today !!

~The CALR Executive Team

Tuesday, April 4, 2006
Exec Board: T-Shirts

Hola Mi Gente:

This is Mirian again and I am emailing you all to inform you that the La Raza Tshirt sale has been extended. Many memebers of our board were away for Spring Break and were not be able to place their orders. Therefore, the extension is until NOON Thursday April 6th.

I want to know who is interested in ordering a La Raza Tshirt(s) and if you are I need your size. As of right now the T-shirt will not cost more than $10. You will need to pay for your shirt(s) once it arrives. I want to place the orders ASAP so hopefully we can have our shirts for the minority weekends that are coming up in April and our RETREAT !!!!! Please note that I have opended the tshirt sale to the Exec Team first. PLEASE feel free to sell the tshirt to who ever you want (family and friends). Its $10!!!!!

This is a side note: I am personally ordering my tshirt in a children's size so if any of you want your tshirt in a children's size you can do so.

Also, here is the website of the company we are ordering from. Take a look at the different products and projects they have done: www.2MProductions.com

Again please place your order via email @ mirita@udel.edu by 12:00 pm April 6th. If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me through email or phone @ (302) 379-1018 (if you are VERIZON call anytime if your not "IN" then call after 9pm).

Thank you to all who have placed orders!!!! SELL SELL SELL!!!!

Thursday, March 30, 2006
An Exchange Between La Raza & A Concerned Member of the Community

Below is an email exchange between a concerned member of the community and Craig Aleman, one of La Raza's graduate student advisors regarding La Raza's March 30 Immigration CALL TO ACTION:

It would be nice if you allowed your members and those on your e-mail list to make their own decisions on wether or not they support this bill; not tell them what to do and what to support. Not much of a debate if you are spoon feeding your members what you may think is right or wrong.
THAT is democracy.
Just a thought,
(Name Excluded For Privacy Purposes)

The Response From La Raza

Thank you for your concerns (Name Excluded For Privacy Purposes). Immigration reform is a hot button issue that can and does provoke reaction from many people.

Policy analysts from our parent organization often send us policy updates. As a campus organization, we use the information they send us, conduct comprehensive research on the issue, and then determine where we stand. As the Latino Student Union on campus, we expect the same from our members.

Each individual who joins us in our mission to advance minority affairs should: 1) maintain their individuality, conduct their own research, and decide where they stand on issues once we send out Calls For Action, or 2) (the less preferable approach) take our word on the policy issue and act in concert with our organization.

We hope that our members conduct their own research and determine their own stance; however, if they merely take our word on a policy issues – I wish to reassure you:

UD La Raza has a solid reputation as a moderate organization that firmly grasps policy issues. We are highly regarded by media outlets such as local radio stations as well as the News Journal, El Sol & El Tiempo Latino. We are also closely affiliated with politicians on both sides of the isle, as well as with Governor Minner and her Advisory Council on Hispanic Affairs. Community leaders often turn to us for assistance with respect to their private initiatives and again hold us in high esteem.

These relationships would not have materialized without a history of responsibility on our end.

As you can see: in the event that La Raza “spoon feeds” its members, you can be rest assured that our history of performance and reputation would strongly suggest that we are spoon feeding essential nourishment for individuals’ minds as opposed to the alternative: allowing them to starve.

If you have any additional concerns or would like to discuss this further, I encourage you to contact our President, Guillermo Febres, at gfebres@udel.edu. If you would like additional information on the proposed legislation, their provisions, and their potential impact on the US, feel free to contact Craig de Mariana Aleman, one of La Raza’s senior policy analysts on campus, at 92076@udel.edu. Please note that these individuals, as well as the rest of the La Raza Executive Board and graduate student advisors, have been carbon copied this email.

Thanx again for your concerns – and keep up the good fight!

En La Union Esta La Fuerza !!

~The CALR Executive Team

Thursday, March 30, 2006
La Raza & The Immigration Debate

Want to know what’s going on in today’s heated immigration debate? Need a quick guide to the issues because of your busy schedule?

La Raza is here for you.

The Campus Alliance of La Raza and our National Organization, The National Council of La Raza support the McCain/Kennedy Bill, also known as the “Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act of 2005” (S. 1033/H.R. 2330). The “Secure America Act” takes a holistic approach to our nation’s immigration problems as opposed to the Sensenbrenner Bill passed by the House of Representatives, which would make undocumented immigrants FELONS, and make it a CRIME for anyone including aid workers or church representatives to assist undocumented immigrants.

Attached find info on both versions of the proposed immigration legislation and talking points on why the HR 4437 (the Sensenbrenner Bill) will not serve the best interests of the country.

Did your home district representative vote for Sensenbrenner bill? Want to give them hell for it? We have also attached a House list of how each Representative voted – feel free to look up your home district Representatives, see how they voted and then call their offices and show some love or give them hell.

This is a DEMOCRACY !! Make Your Voices Heard !!

Find your US House Representative: http://www.house.gov/zip/ZIP2Rep.html
Find your US Senate Representative: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Encourage your Reps (both House and Senate) to support COMPREHENSIVE Immigration Reform – Support The Secure American and Orderly Immigration Act of 2005 (S. 1033/H.R. 2330) !!

For all you Delawareans – Representative Castle voted for Sensenbrenner Bill. His office number is (202) 225-4165.

En La Union Esta La Fuerza !!!

~The CALR Executive Team

Tuesday, March 28, 2006
UD Settles Anti-Semetic Case

http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060328/NEWS/603280341/1006

Monday, March 27, 2006
NATIONAL LATINO ORGANIZATIONS EXPRESS EXTREME CONCERN WITH SENATOR FRIST'S PROPOSAL

Washington, DC – Four of the leading national Hispanic advocacy organizations in the United States - the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund, and the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) - today released the text of a letter to Senator Bill Frist (R-TN) expressing their concern with his threat to bypass the Senate Judiciary Committee and introduce his own border security bill.

The text of the letter follows:

March 27, 2006

The Honorable Bill Frist
509 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Senator Frist:

The undersigned national Latino organizations write to express our concerns regarding your recent announcement to rush the work of the Senate Judiciary Committee and bring the immigration reform debate to the full Senate as early as March 28, 2006. We are also disturbed by your threats to bypass the Committee entirely and bring your own border security bill to the floor.

Under the leadership of Chairman Arlen Specter, the experts of the Senate Judiciary Committee had made groundbreaking inroads toward passing comprehensive immigration reform legislation during the last markup session. They had entered into productive discussions on how to treat the 11 million undocumented immigrants in this country and any "future flow" of legally admitted workers.

Abruptly interrupting the legislative process in this way and bypassing the Committee's expertise and years of lawmaking will make for bad policy and bad law. The enforcement-only House bill, for example, was introduced on December 6, 2005 and debated by the full House just two days later. For the past quarter century, virtually every major immigration reform bill enacted into law took longer than one congressional session to pass. We need smart legislation, not a quick rush to judgment.

The colossal task of reforming our broken immigration system is too complex, and the stakes too high, to be rushed. We urge you to respect the Senate Judiciary Committee's jurisdiction and process and allow its members to move forward with their important work.

The Latino community, whose interests we represent, expects Congress to enact feasible and humane immigration policies that will restore the rule of law and enhance security, reunite families, protect workers, promote citizenship and civic participation, and help local communities.

Thank you for taking our views into consideration.

Sincerely,

League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)
Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF)
National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund
National Council of La Raza (NCLR)

Friday, March 24, 2006
NCLR ROAD MAP FOR NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT SHOWS HOW LAW CAN WORK FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS

New Report Underscores Need to Include All Students in Accountability Systems

Washington, DC – A new report by the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S., examining the impact of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) on English language learners (ELLs) concludes that while the law has not been implemented adequately, it holds considerable promise for closing the achievement gap between ELLs and other students. The issue brief, Improving Assessment and Accountability for English Language Learners in the No Child Left Behind Act, also provides a road map for policy-makers and school administrators for improving the law's effectiveness for ELLs.

"NCLB can close the achievement gap between ELLs and their peers. But our report shows that it will not be successful if these children continue to be exempted from many of the law's provisions," stated Janet Murguía, NCLR President and CEO. "The answer is not to water down the law but to hold schools accountable for the academic progress of all students, including students who are learning English."

According to the brief, there are 8.8 million Latino students, or 19% of the total student population, enrolled in the public school system. Nearly half (45%) of these students are English language learners. Nationally, 79% of limited-English-proficient (LEP) students are Spanish-speaking. The report shows that while NCLB represents the first time that federal law has required schools to be held accountable for the education of ELL students, many states are in fact trying to bypass the law by exempting ELLs from test score and student outcome reports.

"Instead of implementing NCLB, too many states are focused on getting out of being held accountable for the progress of their ELL students. That is unacceptable. It is time to acknowledge that we have crossed the bridge on accountability and standards. The question is not if we follow through with this law, but how we follow through with it so that all students can get a better education in our public schools," continued Murguía.

The issue brief includes recommendations for how federal and state policy-makers can improve school and state compliance with NCLB requirements. Recommendations are also made to ensure better tracking of ELL student achievement and stronger enforcement of accountability measures.

"Our schools cannot be considered successful until they address the needs of all students. This includes English language learners, who have a long history of being overlooked. It is vital to the future of our nation that all children be able to achieve so they are prepared for college and the 21st century workforce," concluded Murguía.

Wednesday, March 6, 2006
Media Advisory

Elected Officials, Political and Civic Activists and Religious Leaders
Announce Request for US Department of Justice Inquiry into Delmarva Power Electric Rate Hikes

WHEN:   Thursday, March 9th at 1:00 p.m.

WHAT:   Call for US Department of Justice Inquiry into proposed 59% Residential and 100% Business Electric Rate Hikes

WHO:     Richard Korn and Rev. Dr. Christopher Alan Bullock, Pastor of Canaan Baptist Church in Wilmington, elected officials, political, civic and community leaders.

WHERE: ACORN Offices located in People's Settlement Association, 2nd floor, 408 East 8th Street, Wilmington, DE 19801.

Friday, March 3, 2006
Free HIV/AIDS Testing

You have a responsibility to yourself and your significant other !! Get Tested !!!

Student Health Services in Laurel Hall now offers free confidential HIV counseling and testing for students. Testing and Counseling is being performed by Mrs. Nancy Smallwood, Student Health Nurse practitioner.

Students can call 831-2226 for an appointment.

~The CALR Executive Team

Sunday February 26, 2006
NCLR TO RELEASE REPORT ON KATRINA AND THE LATINO COMMMUNITY

Washington, DC – On Tuesday, February 28, the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S., will hold a news briefing with the heads of several national Latino organizations to release In the Eye of the Storm: How the Government and Private Response to Hurricane Katrina Failed Latinos, a new report on the response to Hurricane Katrina and its impact on the Latino community. The briefing will be held in Room 2220 of the Rayburn House Office Building beginning at 2:45 p.m.

Expected to attend the event are NCLR President and CEO Janet Murguía; Ron Blackburn-Moreno, President of Aspira and Chair of the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA); Manuel Mirabal, President of the National Puerto Rican Coalition (NPRC); and Brent Wilkes, Executive Director of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). The briefing will follow a Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity of the House Financial Services Committee hearing on fair housing in the aftermath of Katrina and Rita at which Ms. Murguía will testify.

MEDIA ADVISORY WHEN: Tuesday, February 28, 2006, 2:45 p.m.
WHERE: Room 2220, Rayburn House Office Building
WHAT: Briefing with national Hispanic leaders; questions and answers.
###

Friday, February 24, 2006
La Raza Successfully Calls In Media To Add Additional Pressure To UD President David Roselle

Although La Raza defends White Supremacist Robert T. Huber's right to free speech, we are concerned that students, especially those of color, who are mandated to take classes taught by Huber could be subject to psychological violence that is not conducive to their intellectual or social development. Therefore, we strongly encourage the Physics Department and The University of Delaware Administration to eliminate future teaching opportunities for Huber. In the event that legal barriers prevent this from occurring, La Raza and its allies demand that the University Administration guarantee the student body that Robert Huber will not teach any classes required by an academic program.

Failure to comply will result in additional action by La Raza and its regional and national allies.

The rights of minority students must be protected!!

For more information on events stemming from La Raza's successful awareness campaign, please visit the following News Journal Article:

http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060225/NEWS/602250321
.

Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Victory In Battle Against Predatory Lending

The First Bank of Delaware to end "payday" loans!! This is great news for the Latino community, which is disproportionately victimized by these high interest scams that sometimes approach 900%!! For more info, please visit the following News Journal link:

http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060222/NEWS/60222007

http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060223/BUSINESS/602230328

Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Lecture Series on Race, Ethnicity and Culture Continues

4:14 p.m., Feb. 20, 2006--UD's Women's Studies Program is sponsoring a spring lecture series, “Research on Race, Ethnicity and Culture.” The series, free and open to the public, is slated for 12:20-1:10 p.m, Wednesdays, in 116 Gore Hall. The series also serves as a one-credit pass/fail course for UD students.

The lecture series includes:

“Of Veils and Violence: Gender, Nation and Globalization,” by Pooja Rishi, professor of political science and international relations, Feb. 22;

“American Muslim Identity in post 9/11 America,” by Muqtedar Khan, professor of political science and international relations, March 1;

“I'm Every Woman,” by Lisa Blunt-Bradley, president, Metropolitan Wilmington Urban League, March 8;

“Beating the Odds: Market Women and Social Change in South India,” by Eloise Meneses, Department of Anthropology, Eastern College, March 15;

“The Others are Coming: Navigating Race in TV's Lost,” by Karen Gaffney, Department of English, Raritan Valley Community College, March 22;

“Harriet Ross Tubman: Moses, Muse and Model,” by Amalia Amaki, assistant professor of Black American Studies, April 5;

“Exploring Social Vulnerability in Hurricane Katrina,” by Tricia Watchendorf, assistant professor of sociology, April 12;

“Hooches and Whores: Hip Hop and the Crisis in Young Black Womanhood,” by Carol Henderson Belton, associate professor of English, April 19;

“Boundaries and Borders: Families on the Move,” by Barbara Settles, professor of individual and family studies, April 26;

“The KKK Cases of the 1870s,” by Leslie Goldstein, professor of political science and international relations, May 3; and

“Palimpest Identity: Representation of Transracial and Transnational Adoption in American Literature,” by Marina Fedosik, English graduate student, May 10.

For more information, e-mail Carolyn Bitzer at [cbitzer@udel.edu] or call (302) 831-8474.

Sunday, February 19, 2006
Pictures and Upcoming Conferences

Pictures from La Raza in Miami & the American Democracy Institute Conference in Philadelphia with Hillary Clinton are now up on La Raza’s site. We have approximately 1,250 photos from events of the last 18 months:
http://udel.edu/stu-org/CALR/

La Raza will be sending Delegations to the Following Upcoming Conferences:

The National Council de La Raza’s Issue Briefing & Advocacy Day – Capital Hill, Washington DC. March 8-9, 2006.
(La Raza’s Parent Organization)
http://www.nclr.org/section/events/advocacy_day/
Registration Deadline: February 24, 2006

High Cost of a Low Income: Financial Services in Underserved Markets – University of Delaware, Newark DE. March 17th, 2006. http://www.udel.edu/PR/UDaily/2006/feb/symposium020706.html
Registration Deadline:

International Conference on Human Rights – Northwestern University, Chicago IL. April 6-9 2006.
(This Conference Is Coincident With The CALR Annual Retreat.)
http://www.nuchr.org/index.php
Registration Deadline:

The National Council de La Raza’s Annual Conference – Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles, CA. July 8-11, 2006
http://www.nclr.org/section/events/conference/event_information/
Registration Deadline:

If you are interested in participating in these upcoming events, please feel free to contact our Delegation Team: Nina Grillo-Balthrop at ninagb@udel.edu and Jessica Ramirez at jeram@udel.edu.

We also have room in the following Community Delegations (these organizations meet once a month):

The Governor's Advisory Council on Hispanic Affairs:
Contact Christina Graciano at graciano@udel.edu

The A. Philip Randolph Institute: http://www.apri.org/
Contact Craig de Mariana Aleman at 92076@udel.edu

En La Union Esta La Fuerza !!!
The Campus Alliance de La Raza

Friday, February 17, 2006
Minorities Have Little Voice In Delaware Politics

The Delaware News Journal
http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060218/NEWS/602180320/1006

Thursday, February 16, 2006
Hundreds of Latinos Rally In Georgetown Against Immigration Bill

The Delaware News Journal
http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060215/NEWS/602150388/1006

Monday, February 13, 2006
CALR CALL TO ACTION

Spread the word - get people talking about this !!

"Ill bomb your cities, destroy your towns
Wipe out the scum, Kill all the browns ... "

UD Winter Session Physics Prof & His "Hatecore Music" --

You will not believe this ...

On Today's Edition of the News Journal Online:

http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060212/NEWS/602120345/1006

Monday, February 13, 2006
Venezuela's Low-Cost Heating Oil Program Coming to Delaware!!

Richard Korn, CITGO C.E.O and Venezuela's Ambassador to Announce Details of Venezuelan Low-Income Heating Oil Program

Discounted Fuel Program for Low-Income Americans Comes to Delaware

WHEN: Tuesday, February 14 at 11a.m.

WHAT: Launch of Discounted Heating Oil Program in Delaware:
Press Conference, Signing Ceremony, Inaugural Delivery

WHO:    Richard & Magda Korn; The Rev. Dr. Christopher Alan Bullock, Pastor of Canaan Baptist Church in Wilmington; Venezuela's Ambassador to the United States, Bernardo Alvarez; Felix Rodriguez, CEO of CITGO; Joseph Kennedy II, Chairman and President, Citizens Energy Corporation; Dennis Savage, Director, Office of Community Services, Delaware Department of Health & Social Services, local program recipients and invited politicians.

WHERE:
Martha House II homeless shelter for women
located at 417 S. Harrison Street, Wilmington, DE. 19805
(between Linden and Maple Streets)

Click Here and Here for New Journal Articles on the program:

Please refer low income Latinos in our state to this program! Catholic Charities of Dover and Voces Sin Fronteras, one of La Raza's community allies, of Wilmington are designated organizations to conduct intakes regarding this matter. All inquiries should be forwarded to Cecilia Cardesa-Lusardi, The Executive Director of Voces at cclusardi@voiceswithoutborders.org.

Tuesday, February 7, 2006
Free Grad/Professional School Entrance Exam Seminars

An email La Raza got from the Kaplan Center on Main Street. Feel free to take them up on their offer - it's a great opportunity!

Free seminars this February at the center on Main Street, Newark. These seminars include:

LSAT 10 Question Challenge - Feb 13th @7pm
GRE is changing - Feb 15th @7pm
GMAT 10 Question Challenge - Feb 16th @7pm
GRE 10 Question Challenge - Feb 21st @7pm
MCAT goes Computer in 2007 - Feb 23rd @7pm

We are also holding a FREE practice test drive (MCAT, GMAT, GRE, DAT, LSAT) on Saturday, March 11th at 12pm in Smith Hall.

If any of your members would like to sign up for any of the seminars or a practice test, please feel free to stop by our center on Main Street!

Monday, February 6, 2006
HAVEN Marry-In

Hello!

My name is Sarah Maguire. I am the political chair of Haven and I’m in the process of planning this year’s Marry-In on March 13th. You are being contacted as officers of various multi-cultural and religious groups on campus. I am writing to ask if you would like to cosponsor the Marry-In with Haven this year. I would really like to see more cultures represented at the Marry-In. Cosponsorship would not require any money, we just ask for publicity to your members as well as, if possible, a representation or symbol of marriage as it relates to your groups’ heritage. While this is a political event, it will not be tied in with any other political issues. Thank you so much for your time and consideration. I would really love to see you all there. If you are interested, please email me back so that we may stay in touch regarding the specifics of your contributions. Thanks again!

Peace,
Sarah Jeanne Maguire

sjeanne@udel.edu
President, CLU
Political Chair, Haven

Thursday, February 2, 2006
POSITION AVAILABLE

The Delaware Helpline, a local nonprofit organization, is looking to hire a full time Information Specialist who is bi-lingual. The Helpline is open Monday-Friday during regular business hours. The salary is $35,000 + benefits. If you are interested or want further information, contact Patti Blevins at 302-255-1810. Training is available.

The Information Specialists answer a 1-800 number and then provide information to people in crisis. Please see www.Delawarehelpline.org for further information.

DELAWARE HELPLINE can give you information and referrals for:
Financial Assistance, Emergency Housing and Food, Government/Information Services, Utilities Assistance, Legal Services, Child Support, Transportation, Drivers License, Mental Health Counseling, Donations, Family Issues, Professional Licensing

Monday, February 1, 2006
GACHA Meeting The 9th

HOLA Familia --

The Governor's Advisory Council on Hispanic Affairs is meeting this month on Thursday, Feb 9th at 6:30 at the Dover Art League, 21 West Lockerman Street.

Christina Graciano is our new Chair of the Delegation. She will be car-pooling with GACHA members from Newark, leaving at 5:00pm. If you would like to be apart of GACHA, please feel free to contact Christina at graciano@udel.edu.

Monday, January 16, 2006
GACHA Meeting Tomorrow

Message: The Governor’s Advisory Council on Hispanic Affairs (GACHA) is meeting tomorrow (Tuesday) at 6:00pm at Legislative Hall, Delaware’s Capital Building, in Dover.

GACHA is a group of powerful Latino figures in the state of Delaware who advise the Governor on issues facing the Latino community. The group is made up of lobbyists, politicians, CEOs, Educators, Executive Directors, attorneys, doctors and other professionals & the best part is: they love seeing young Latino making moves & have a close relationship with our organization!!

If you are interested in attending the GACHA meeting, transportation to and from Dover will be provided. Our Delegate to the entity, Craig de Mariana Aleman, is leaving Newark tomorrow at 4:15pm - for those of you who have already RSVPed, please be at 1206 Christiana East Tower no later than 4:00pm.

Business Casual Attire Is Required !!

Feel free to call 302-393-3463 for more information.

This is a GREAT opportunity to network with Latino professionals. They are ALWAYS looking for ways to help us out socially and intellectually. Opportunities for internships, jobs and networking are ALWAYS present.

En La Union Esta La Fuerza !!!

~The CALR Executive Team

Friday, January 13, 2006
American Democracy Institute Conference

La Raza Conference Time Has Come Again !! The American Democracy Institute is having its Eastern Regional Summit in Philadelphia on Feb 4 and La Raza will send a delegation.

This full day event will feature a plenary with a keynote address by Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, who serves as honorary chair of the American Democracy Institute's youth initiative.

Before and after the plenary, there will be a series of leadership development workshops where participants and local and national leaders will discuss and debate current issues. Workshop topics include:

Voting Rights - Crisis in the American Voting System
Faith and Public Policy
The Role of the Media In Politics
The Constitution and the 21st Century
Empowering Youth and Improving Communities

Go to the website listed below – and register for the conference. Transportation to and from the event will be provided.

This is a FREE but ticketed event. Tickets are available on a first come first serve basis. Once you register for the Conference, send an email to La Raza’s Delegation Team at ninagb@udel.edu and jeram@udel.edu to let them know that you will be attending.

Make sure you register as a member of The Campus Alliance de La Raza !!

Registration has been pushed back until Jan 17th due to the high volume of interest in this event!!!! Get your tickets ASAP!

When:
Saturday, February 4, 2006, 8:30 AM
More information:
http://www.americandemocracyinstitute.org

Thursday, January 12, 2006
GEAR-UP, McNair & GACHA

Hola Familia,

GEAR UP is having a "scared straight" type of forum this Saturday at Perkins from 10:30am til noon. Some of the kids aren't doing so well in school, so Jose Quinones of the Governor’s Council on Hispanic Affairs will be a guest speaker talking about his personal experiences.

Justin Melis, La Raza’s Programming Director and Craig Aleman, one of La Raza’s advisors, will also be on a panel discussing their experiences in overcoming adversity and making it to the university.

If you are in town and interested in helping these kids out by joining the panel, please contact Justin Melis at jmelis@udel.edu or at 646-372-5751.

On another note, the McNair application deadline is just a few days away (the 15th), so if you haven’t already, make sure you turn yours in. Most applicants haven’t even had their first interview yet, but we’ve already SECURED 5 seats for this summer – so get them applications in so we can make history again !!

Finally, for those of you attending the Governor Advisory Council on Hispanic Affairs (GACHA) meeting on Tuesday, we are meeting in 1206 Christiana East Tower at 4:00pm. There is still room for one more if you haven’t already reserved your space in the delegation.

Don’t forget to help out those GEAR-UP kids if you can !! They are mostly African American and Latino and could really benefit from our presence.

Es La Verdad – En La Union Esta La Fuerza !!

~The Campus Alliance de La Raza

Wednesday, January 4, 2006
GACHA's January Meeting

The Governor’s Advisory Council on Hispanic Affairs (GACHA) is meeting on Tuesday, January 17th at 6:00pm at Legislative Hall, Delaware’s Capital Building, in Dover.

GACHA is a group of powerful Latino figures in the state of Delaware who advise the Governor on issues facing the Latino community. The group is made up of lobbyists, politicians, CEOs, Educators, Executive Directors, attorneys, doctors and other professionals & the best part is: they love seeing young Latino making moves & have a close relationship with our organization!!

If you are interested in attending the GACHA meeting, transportation to and from Dover will be provided. Our Delegate to the entity, Craig de Mariana Aleman, is leaving Newark on Tuesday at 4:45pm and has room for 4 people in his SUV. If we need it, additional transportation will be arranged. Feel free to call 302-393-3463 for more information or to reserve your seat in the Delegation.

This is a GREAT opportunity to network with Latino professionals. They are ALWAYS looking for ways to help us out socially and intellectually. Opportunities for internships, job opportunities and networking are ALWAYS present.

En La Union Esta La Fuerza !!!

~The CALR Executive Team

Tuesday, January 3, 2006
The Latino-American Student Organization of Cape Henlopen High School
...

...

The Campus Alliance of La Raza is proud to announce the establishment of the Latino-American Student Organization (LASO) of Cape Henlopen High School in Soutern Delaware. We Salute Eli Ramos, the organiztion's Advisor, as well as Carlos Marin-Landa, Rondy Osorio, Blanca Gonzalez & Jesus Cardenas in their efforts to organize the Latino presense in Delaware's public high schools.

To visit our young brothers and sisters, please click here.

The Campus Alliance of La Raza is proud to call LASO a sister organization that shares the same mission - the upward mobility of ourselves and the improvement of our communities.

Do not ever hesitate to call on us hermanos !!

Es La Verdad - En La Union Esta La Fuerza !!

LASO Executive Board:
President : Carlos Marin-Landa
Vice President: Rondy Osorio
Secretary: Blanca Gonzalez
Treasurer: Jesus Cardenas

Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Chi Upsilon Sigma

...

The Campus Alliance of La Raza would like to congratulate Zory Perez and Jissell Martinez for Crossing into the Sisterhood of Corazones Unidos Siempre Chi Upsilon Sigma National Latin Sorority, Incorporated at the University of Delaware!

It's Great To See Latinas Making Moves -- We, The CALR, Will Always Be Here For You Two And We Look Forward To Your Contributions To The Latino Community. Congratulations On Your Accomplishments !!

En La Union Esta La Fuerza !!

Tuesday, December 27, 2005
Venezuela's Low-Cost Heating Oil Program Coming to Delaware

(Wilmington, DE) - December 22, 2005 - Venezuelan Ambassador to the United States Bernardo Alvarez has announced that the State of Delaware will be included in the CITGO discounted home heating oil program for the needy poor. This program, where CITGO supplies oil at 40 percent below market prices, has already been successfully brought to Massachusetts, via the nonprofit Citizens Energy Corporation, headed by former Congressman Joseph P. Kennedy II, and to New York's South Bronx, via nonprofit groups organized by Rep. Jose Serrano.

In making the announcement, Ambassador Alvarez, who visited Wilmington in October, said: 'It is particularly gratifying that the people of Venezuela can offer to the people of Delaware this gift of heating oil which, in the true spirit of Christmas, will provide much-needed warmth this winter. This is one hand reaching out to help another -- brother to brother, sister to sister, friend to friend."

Richard Korn, who along with his wife Magda, a native Venezuelan, invited and hosted the Ambassador and other embassy officials in October, has been holding discussions with the Ambassador and the Minister Counselor of Energy Affairs, Fadi Kabboul, regarding the heating oil needs of Delaware's poor. The last meeting took place December 16th at the Venezuelan Embassy. Those talks resulted in this agreement.

Mr. Korn said: "We all care about the poor and the needy who face some of the highest energy bills in recent history and, as a result, may have to chose between food or fuel for their families during the bitter winter months. No one should have to make that choice. We are grateful that Ambassador Alvarez had the opportunity to personally tour Wilmington and to see first hand the plight of many poor and needy Delawareans and that our continued discussions have resulted in the decision to include Delaware in the CITGO home heating oil program for the poor. This is not about politics. This is about people helping people. We still have a lot to do. We do not yet have a signed contract with CITGO. We are all working toward that goal. But just knowing that Delaware is now on the list and IN the CITGO program is a much welcomed Christmas gift to many needy families."

According to Catholic Charities, an administrator of the Delaware Energy Assistance Program (DEAP), last winter the State of Delaware used approximately 626,000 gallons of fuel oil in the regular assistance program. Korn said that discussions with the Ambassador and the Minister Counselor of Energy Affairs have concerned providing Delaware with 750,000 gallons of home-heating oil on a discounted basis.

Korn went on to say that the Delaware CITGO heating oil program 'Venezuela & Delaware A Humanitarian Effort: People Helping People" will bring to the table and partner a wide array of prominent religious and other not-for-profit organizations throughout the state.

Further details concerning the individual participants and the January launch date of the 'People Helping People" heating oil initiative will be announced soon.

For Further Information:
Contact: Richard Korn: 302 235-7055

Hon. Fadi Kabboul, Minister Counselor of Energy Affairs, Embassy of Venezuela: 202-342-2214

For a News Journal article, click here

Friday, December 16, 2005
Book Drive In The News !!
.

Dec. 12, 2005 --It was pizza, punch, poetry and prose Dec. 9 at Wilmington’s Latin American Community Center (LACC) when neighborhood kids from kindergarten to eighth grade received an early holiday gift. Each got to pick a book hand delivered by UD’s McNair Scholars, University Undergraduate Scholars and members of La Raza and HOLA who joined forces last month to sponsor a children’s book drive.

More than 2,000 children’s books were collected on campus and in Newark, Nov.1-Dec.1, at drop-off locations in Christiana Commons, Perkins Student Center, Memorial Hall, the Trabant University Center and Lieberman's bookstore. Money for the drive was raised at a two-night "Sponsor-A-Children's Book" event allowing students to donate a dollar then select a book and write an inspirational message inside.

Student volunteers delivered about 100 books to LACC, bought the kids pizza and punch, read them a story and then let them select their gift.

The remainder of the books will be distributed to children in Delaware and New York, and to the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

http://www.udel.edu/PR/UDaily/2006/dec/books121205.html

...

Thursday, December 15, 2005
Hispanics Lag in Completing College

A report from the Pew Hispanic Center shows that although Hispanics continue to increase their enrollment in colleges, they are half as likely as white students to finish a bachelor's degree. In 2001, there were 24% more Hispanic freshmen nationwide than in 1996. The increasing number of young Hispanics on college campuses is not only due to the population growth but also shows improved educational performance among Hispanics. From 1970 to 2000 the number of U.S.-born Hispanic 18- to 19-year-olds who completed high school increased from 40% to 60%. Also, more Hispanic youth are applying to college. Among 1972 high school seniors, 51% of Hispanics went on to college. By 1992, 70% of Hispanic high school seniors went on to college ... more

Sunday, December 11, 2005
NCLR HAILS APPOINTMENT OF MENENDEZ TO U.S. SENATE

Washington, DC – The National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S., today hailed the appointment of Representative Bob Menendez (D-NJ) to succeed Senator Jon Corzine in the U.S. Senate. Menendez' appointment brings the total of Hispanic U.S. senators to three, the largest number in U.S. history.

"Governor-elect Corzine has made the right choice for New Jersey and for the country," stated Janet Murguía, NCLR President and CEO. "Bob Menendez is a nationally-recognized and highly-respected leader in the Hispanic community who rose to become the highest-ranking Latino ever in the U.S. House of Representatives. Given his great talent and deep commitment to his community and his country, I have no doubt that he will have an equally impressive impact on the U.S. Senate."

"On behalf of the National Council of La Raza, I want to congratulate Representative Menendez and commend Governor-elect Corzine. We look forward to working closely with both of these outstanding leaders on the key issues facing our country in the years to come," concluded Murguía.

Saturday, December 10, 2005
NCLR TERMS SENSENBRENNER BILL "APPALLING"

House Judiciary Bill Jeopardizes all Americans without Resolving Immigration Problems

Washington, DC – The National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S., is appalled by the "Border and Immigration Enforcement Act of 2005" (H.R. 4437), a bill introduced by House Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner (R-WI). Instead of providing a comprehensive, effective approach to immigration problems, the bill is a laundry list of mean-spirited and intrusive provisions concocted by the most radical immigrant restrictionists in Congress.

Among its many provisions, H.R. 4437 would:

Make it harder for legal immigrants to become U.S. citizens.

Disrupt American communities and put all Americans at risk by broadening the definition of smuggling to include anyone who aids or transports an undocumented immigrant.

Make everyone who comes to the U.S. to work subject not only to deportation but also imprisonment.

Disrupt the U.S. economy by creating an overly broad and retroactive employment verification system without creating legal channels for needed workers to work lawfully.

"No one is against security or enforcing the law. But it is an affront to all those in Congress and elsewhere who are working diligently to fix our broken immigration system that House Republicans are proposing laws that are strictly punitive, unduly restrictive, and a waste of taxpayer money. The House Republicans have overreached and are playing with people's lives for political gain. This is simply unacceptable," stated Janet Murguía, NCLR President and CEO.

The Sensenbrenner bill is expected to be approved by the Judiciary Committee on Thursday, and the entire House will vote on the measure next week. Other amendments that may be considered next week are a proposal by Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO), the most anti-immigrant member of Congress, to eliminate birthright citizenship for babies born in the U.S. and an amendment to build a wall along the entire U.S.-Mexico border.

"These are extreme proposals that do nothing to advance a rational conversation on comprehensive immigration reform," concluded Murguía. "We look to the Senate to engage in the constructive debate this nation needs to truly solve our very real immigration problems."

Friday, December 9, 2005
Book Drive Success !!!

Congratulations to Melody and her team for collecting over 2200 books to give out to underprivileged children, primarily African Americans and Latinos over this holiday season!!

La Raza and McNair will be sending a delegation to the Latin American Community Center today (Friday) at 11:00am to distribute the first hundred of the 2000 books.

Lunch (pizza) will be provided – as will transportation. If you feel like taking a study break and want to see the faces of these children, don’t hesitate to come along.

A convoy of vehicles will be leaving the Library parking lot at 11:10am today.

2000 Books !! Way to go Melody!!

When La Raza Decides To Come, We Come Correct !!!

Good luck with finals everyone !!

~The CALR Executive Team

Wednesday, December 7, 2005
Political Campaign Job Opportunity

Interested in politics? Want to work on a campaign?

Scheduler:

The main responsibility of the scheduler is to work closely with the campaign manager and the field and finance coordinators to allocate the candidate's time according to targeted priorities and the campaign plan.

Specific duties include:

•Setting up a system to handle invitations
•Preparing the long-term calendar for candidate activity at the beginning of the campaign
•Preparing monthly and weekly schedules
•Developing a detailed daily schedule with complete information about each event
•Planning the logistics and arrangements for each event
•Distributing the candidate's schedule to campaign staff, the media, and candidate's family

Must be able to handle competing demands firmly and graciously. Must be able to say 'no." The job requires firmness, patience, tact, and the ability to work well with the candidate and other members of the staff, as well as the public.

Must be able to competently handle a myriad of details involved in making effective use of the candidate's time. Also responsible for making sure that nothing is left to chance.

This is an unpaid position. Interested applicants should contact: Kim Wilson 302-252-1952 (email:wilson@wilsongroup.us). Must be available throughout the campaign (January-November 2006).

La Raza is a nonpartisan entity that will never endorse any canidadate or any party; however, the intellectual and social development of our members are pillars we rest on. Thus we will share any and every opportunity for development with our members including those associated with campaigns.

Tuesday, December 06, 2005
BREAKING NEWS: Chavez Sent 1 Million Barrels of Additional Gasoline to the USA after Katrina at Richard Korn's Suggestion

Richard Korn is evidence that the meanings of words can often be relative. Consider the phrase 'casual lunch." A casual lunch with Richard Korn is anything but casual by most standards. Unless, of course, learning the unreported cause of a recent international story, attendant with ample documentary evidence, is 'casual."

I got to know Richard because I received an e-mail notice about his wife, Magda Korn, exhibiting her art at the Louis Redding building in Wilmington on October 6, 2005. Ms. Korn is a native of Venezuela and the opening of her exhibit was to be attended by the Venezuelan Ambassador to the USA Bernardo Alvarez. The exhibit was open to the public. I wrote Richard and told him that I would attend the exhibit. I wanted to see Ms. Korn's paintings, but I was chiefly interested in meeting the Venezuelan ambassador. The USA/Venezuelan relationship, and the ascendancy of Venezuelan's President Hugo Chavez as a national leader and the principal proponent regional reform and self sufficiency, has long been a personal interest.

Richard answered my e-mail, stating that he was looking forward to meeting me and that he was a reader of my blog. Unfortunately, however, I was ill the night of the exhibit and couldn't make it. Later, I met Richard for breakfast and learned about his meetings with the Venezuelan Ambassador as they arranged for his visit to Delaware more ...

Sunday, November 20, 2005
APRI Accepts Our Dinner Invitation

I would be pleased to join you in January. At the moment, I am being careful about scheduling anything after the 20th because of the delegation to the World Social Forum we are trying to put together.

I am also working on a memo regarding our major projects. After it is approved by Peaches and Kimoko I will get a copy to you. In short, our major projects for now include-housing policy, the prison health care issue, public transportation and health care. We are also putting together work for the upcoming election cycle. We want to stimulate cooperation and coordination in an unprecedented way.

Mark

Wednesday, November 16, 2005
La Raza responds to the APRI

Hi Mark,

I presented the updates you shared with me to the La Raza Board, and I’m pleased to inform you that our organization is very interested in all the opportunities you provided.

Before I proceed, please allow me to introduce you to Rosa Milan and Justin Melis - rosarose@udel.edu & jmelis@udel.edu - they are my mentees at the University and will be working with me in the upcoming year in an effort to builder a stronger relationship with APRI.

Although the semester is quickly coming to a close, consequently rendering our organization "inactive", please note that our Executive Board will be at the University throughout the winter session (Dec 30 - Feb 1) working on La Raza initiatives and planning for 2006. It is during this time that we will be able to coordinate with APRI in an effort to advance our mutual agendas.

Would you be willing to meet with us over dinner sometime in January to discuss 2006 initiatives? We would be honored to provide you with such a small token of our appreciation, after all APRI has been a solid ally of La Raza since our inception. We would also like to invite Wanda Lopez from the Governor's Advisory Council on Hispanic Affairs.

Please note that I have carboned copied several key players in La Raza this email, and I look forward to introducing them to you. I hope all is well with you – I would like to thank you again for all that you do, and I hope to hear from you soon.

Take Care

The CALR Executive Board

Wednesday, November 16, 2005
APRI Reaches Out To La Raza Once Again

An email from our friends at the A Philip Randolph Institute ...

Craig,

Want to update you on a couple of things.

2006 Voter Cycle

Kimoko and I have been talking about events for next year. We would like to do registration, voter education and gotv in the broadest and most coordinated manner possible. I think that this begins with us getting as many groups as possible to sign on to a plan. I believe that it should include a common pool of registrars and registration events, a combination of door to door and community education events, and targeted gotv for the primary and general election. I would like La Raza to become one of the core leadership organizations for this. The plan is to get together with Kimoko Harris (our political department chair) soon to lay out a plan.

2006 Education Day

This event is set for the second Saturday in March. We definitely have the UAW 435 hall for the day so we don't have the strictures and complications from last year. Since this is an election year, the above plan will be central. We want to do a mass registrar training and review the overall plan, I think. If we are successful in our recruitment we should have a number of organizations participating. As far as speakers our concerned, I have been thinking about Glenn Ford, publisher of The Blackcommentator.com, Dr. Ron Walters of the University of Maryland or the Chairman of Political Science at Salisbury State University (I can't remember his name bur I will be following up with the person who suggested him today). The structure of the day will be the registrar training and overview of voter targeting in the morning as well as a review of the 2006 plan. Perhaps the main speaker at lunch and close with a panel afterwards. Since the last panel will probably be a community issues panel we need to ensure that Latino community issues are represented. Obviously, I want to have further discussion about this.

There will be an APRI fundraising dance in the evening.

Washington-Rochembeau Celebration (W3R)

This is the 225 anniversary of the French entering the American Revolution. There are events in the colonies culminating with the one at Yorktown, VA next October. I am on the Delaware board for the state's event. The focus is on the role of African-Americans in the American Revolution. We are the only state with such a focus. APRI is sponsoring a February event with a re-enactor, a preview of 'George Washington's Billy Lee' a opera about Washington's slave who chose staying with him over emancipation during the war. His wife was a spy for the Continental Army. We've also invited Rhonda Roberson who is director of the Black Patriot's Memorial Foundation in Washington. We want to focus these events on our younger members. There may also be a military history display.

On September 28 there will be a day long symposium on the role of Black Patriots. There will be several major speakers and a dinner in the evening. This is part of the four day local commeration that will end on October 1. This will be a very high profile national event. APRI is a sponsor of the Delaware W3R. I am on the board. Obviously, there should be some things of interest to the university community. I'd like to discuss the project with you when you have a chance. Also, there will be a delegation to the conference in Paris in May of next year. I'll be on it. There may be room for one or two more.

Venezuela

We are about to undertake an education campaign on events and conditions in Venezuela. Lisa Sullivan, a Maryknoll Lay Missioner, who spent twenty years there, spoke in Newark at the Phoenix Community last Sunday. There will be a delegation going to see Lisa in Washington in the near future and talks with the embassy about sending a delegation to Venezuela in February or March. Let me know if La Raza has an interest.

Cheyney University

I've been invited to speak at Cheney in the near future. The topic will be Organizing. The date has not yet been set but I will be using the opportunity to connect students to the APRI agenda and activities. Let me know what I can do to connect La Raza to this community.

Legislature

I'm just beginning my work on legislative issues for the last year of the session. It looks like we will be doing Health Care, Insurance Credit Scoring (against), Mass Transit, Housing, Corrections and Sunset Committee reviews. Please let me know of any La Raza issues. I'd also like to keep you informed of legislative issues and support any of your members interested in this aspect of public policy. I am also working on affordable housing policy for New Castle County connected with the Brookview displacement. I'm doing strategy for the groups involved in the issue.

Clearly, we should have a conversation in the near future. Let me know when.

Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Job Opportunity

State-wide non-profit has a full-time position for a self-motivated individual responsible for performing outreach and education to the Latina population; implementing a program to identify and train peer health educators; supervise outreach; deliver breast health programs; serve as a representative at community events; collaborate with community and health organizations. Bachelor's degree preferred in health-related field, social science, or social work with program development skills and proven experience working with diverse communities. Proficiency in written and spoken English and Spanish required. Excellent communication skills. Travel required. Competitive salary and benefits. Submit resume by fax to 302-778-1104 or email dbcc@debreastcancer.org.

Tuesday, November 15, 2005
La Raza Community Meeting Tomorrow

La Raza is having its FINAL community meeting of the semester, co-sponsored with HOLA, this Wednesday at 5:00pm in Trabant 209/211.

We will be updating our community on the semester’s progress with the Review, will provide information and answer all questions associated with The Ronald E. McNair Scholars Program, will introduce the GEAR-UP Program to new members, highlight the success of our book drive, and we’ll lay out an Agenda for next semester.

This is definitely a meeting that you don’t wanna miss – especially if you’re interested in going to Graduate/Professional School or want to get involved in community service activities.

Light Refreshments Will Be Served In Celebration Of Our Accomplishments !!

En La Union Esta La Fuerza – The Campus Alliance de La Raza

Also – Millions More March photos are up on the website – check it out when you find the time !!

http://udel.edu/stu-org/CALR/

See you all Weds –

~The CALR Executive Board

Monday, November 14, 2005
A Career In Community Organizing?

This gentlemen contacted us regarding paid training for a career in community organizing. Please feel free to contact him for additonal info.

To the The Campus Alliance de La Raza network:

Hello there. I am a community organizer with a national network of grassroots community organizations working toward social justice called the Direct Action & Research Training (DART) center. I got your name and email address from the www.campusactivism.org website. I am writing to send along information on a paid training program for those with an interest in launching a career in community organizing around common issues affecting low-moderate income communities like affordable housing, quality public education, living wage, youth services, crime, etc. (see full description of paid training below).

Our paid training program starts June 18, 2006 and runs through October 6, 2006. Training locations will include placements in several states including Ohio, Kentucky, Virginia, Indiana, and Florida.

Please let me know if you are interested and/or would be kind enough to pass along the brief description below to friends, colleagues, list serves, field organizers, or to anyone you know that might be interested in pursuing this line of work. Our application deadline is right around the corner on January 1, 2006, so I would appreciate any help you may be able to provide in spreading the word. I am also attaching a one-page flyer in case that's helpful in any way in spreading the word.

The DART Center has been conducting a paid community organizer training program for the last four years, and has enabled dozens of people to launch permanent salaried positions in the field. It's an excellent opportunity for people interested in grassroots, community organizing.

Thanks for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Ben MacConnell
Recruitment Director
Direct Action & Research Training (DART) Center
Ph: (785) 841-2680
Fax: (785) 841-0118
ben@thedartcenter.org
www.thedartcenter.org

Sunday, November 6, 2005
Thank You Letter From Charles Apple

On behalf of me and my colleagues’ efforts, I would like to extend my thanks to yourself and La Raza for supporting the Stop the Hate initiative this past Tuesday. Not only do I thank La Raza for attendance and support, but interactivity with other groups present at the vigil, ideas and discussion on hate and hate crimes, prevention, identification, and action.

Cooperation amongst groups was incredible at this conference, as we all came together to work on this problem and confront it, as well as coming up with ideas and action plans for the future, some of which are already being implemented. I am hoping with future cooperation amongst on campus groups and students, that hatred will be something which will be identified, dealt with, and given no place on our campus. Please let others know that they are not alone, we are all here together, and we are uniting as one against our common enemy of evil in the forms which it has taken here.

I thank La Raza and its support and bravery in being part of this program. I am deeply humbled and grateful. Action is leadership, and so I am sure that La Raza will be important in helping lead the way with these initiatives and ideas, and establishing a greater sense of oneness and harmony on campus. Again, please send my thanks and blessings to all who came.

Sincerely,
Charles Russell Apple

Friday, November 4, 2005
New Website Established To Report Hate Crimes

In response to reports of a serious assault and several criminal mischief incidents on campus, including several instances of racist and anti-Semitic graffiti on walls, the University of Delaware has established a web site that offers contact information for reporting hate crimes.

The web site, http://www.udel.edu/PR/zerotolerance, is part of a developing University-wide campaign that includes a letter sent by UD President David P. Roselle to the University community Oct. 20 that said UD “must and will have a zero tolerance for hate.

“There is no place at the University of Delaware for those whose credo is meanness and whose method is intimidation. Those who engage in acts of hatred and bias-motivated threats and behavior will be confronted, prosecuted and expelled from our community,” Roselle wrote.

According to the web site, victims or witnesses should report hate crime incidents to Cynthia Cummings, associate vice president for campus life, the Department of Public Safety, or anonymously via an online link.

The web site recommends that students living in residence halls report any hate crimes to the resident assistant, the hall director or the complex coordinator, all of whom have been trained to serve as resources.

In addition to providing important telephone numbers, e-mail addresses and links to other web sites, the web site warns that “a student could face suspension or expulsion from the University or criminal prosecution,” depending on the nature of the hate crime committed.

More than 300 students from across the Newark campus took part in “Stop the Hate March,” a University-wide awareness-raising event on Tuesday, Nov. 1. The march was followed by a discussion session, during which students, their leaders and residence assistants voiced their concerns and called for a major campaign to stop hate.

Wednesday, November 2, 2005
A Letter From Our New Friends At The Review

Hello, everyone:

I just wanted to congratulate you all on the Stop the Hate March. I've come down with a bad sinus infection and unfortunately couldn't be there myself, but another Review reporter attended and said she the event was truly inspirational. I am thrilled to know that there are so many students taking unified action against hate crimes.

Please let me know if you are planning any other related events or if students have submitted ideas to administrators, as was promoted in the UDaily article. Also, if you would like to speak with the Review reporter who attended the march, Julia Parmley, you can email her at jrparm@udel.edu.

Congrats again to all who helped organized this!
- Devin Varsalona
Managing News Editor, The Review

Tuesday, November 1, 2005
Stop The Hate March

More than 300 students from across campus took part in tonight's “Stop the Hate March,” a University-wide awareness-raising event held in response to the recent hate crimes taking place on and around campus.

Organized by the Office of Residence Life and facilitated by several campus groups--including La Raza, SAFE (Students Advocating for Freedom and Equality) and MSN (Minority Student Network)--the event began with brief candle-lighting ceremonies as students from residence halls congregated in common areas, lit each others’ candles and marched en masse to the Trabant University Center Patio to participate in the rest of the evening’s educational and awareness-building events.

La Raza would like to Thank Charles Apple, a Resident Assistant in the Central Complex for inviting our organization to play an active role in the March. Our Board was very pleased with the turnout of the university community as well as the reception La Raza members received at the event. Please note that La Raza Board members made it into the news again - this time interviewed by newspapers and CN8 !!

En La Union Esta La Fuerza !!

View the news articles here and here:

Sunday, October 30, 2005
Letter of Support From Anonymous Community Ally

One of our community allies, who wishes to remain anonymous, made a generous donation of $350.00 which will be used to provide all of our new Executive Board Members with Custom La Raza Business Cards. The Campus Alliance de La Raza would like to thank all those who support us in our initiatives - Es La Verdad, En La Union Esta La Fuerza !!

Dear La Raza Executive Board,

Thank you so much for everything that you do! I have lived in the Delaware region for over 30 years, and never have I seen an organization of young people grow to have so much power and influence so quickly!

Through your voter registration and research initiatives, your defense for those who are unable to protect themselves, your willingness and ability to bring sensitive and sometimes controversial topics and figures to the forefront for confrontation, dialogue, and resolve, and through your support for organizations such as APRI, The Governor’s Council on Hispanic Affairs, Voces Sin Fronteras, The GEAR-UP Program, and the LACC – your work has impacted Latinos and other minorities on a scale that it unparalleled in the region. I encourage you all to take pride in La Raza and continue to defy societal expectations of failure and underperformance!

Please know that your community, although small, will always support you and what you do! You have breathed new life into the Latino Leadership of Delaware and your work and reputation are both recognized and respected on a scale that words alone cannot illustrate!

Continue doing what you do and always know that we will be here for you in whatever capacity that we can – some more visibly than others.

En La Union Esta La Fuerza !!

A Community Ally & Honorary La Raza Member

Monday, October 24, 2005
NCLR Policy Action Alert:Nonprofits Prohibited from Get-Out-the-Vote Efforts

NCLR Alert: Nonprofits Prohibited from Get-Out-the-Vote Efforts Take Action!

New Affordable Housing Fund to Disqualify Nonprofit Applicants that Engage in Civic Outreach Activities

H.R. 1461 seeks to create a new regulator for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and also to create an affordable housing fund that will be dedicated mostly to affordable housing development.
A currently offered amendment to H.R. 1461 will disqualify nonprofits from accessing the funds that have in the previous 12 months engaged in Get Out the Vote/voter registration efforts or those that participated in certain grassroots advocacy. Moreover applicants would be disqualified if they are affiliated with organizations that engage in those activities. For-profits are excluded from this restriction.

Tell your congressman (Mike Castle of Delaware - phone number: 202.225.4165):

• I support the establishment of the Affordable Housing Fund in the GSE legislation, but I have learned that a new amendment will restrict nonprofit organizations that engage in voter registration and other classic civic outreach activities from accessing the fund.

• I oppose any language that prevents nonprofit organizations from using their own private funds to engage in voter registration or affiliate themselves with other organizations with civic outreach programs.

• I urge Representative Mike Castle to oppose any amendment or bill with such language. His phone number is 202.225.4165.

Friday, October 21, 2005
CALR CALL TO ACTION

The CALR Is Calling You To Action !! Spread The Word Of The Following Accounts !! Raise Awareness & Force The University To Act On Its Recent Declaration OF ZERO TOLERANCE FOR HATE !! En La Union Esta La Fuerza !!!

_____________________________

La Raza Executive Board Member Target Of Violent Hate Crime

During the early morning of Saturday, October 15, 2005 - members of La Raza's Executive Board and The NAACP's Vice President were meeting in the Christiana Commons to prepare for the arrival of over 100 students who would be participating in The Millions More March that was taking place in Washington DC later that day.

While walking from Pencader towards the Christiana Commons meeting location, one of La Raza's Executive Board members was approached by three white males - 2 of which blatantly deployed racial epithets and threats of violence. A violent exchange occurred leaving our Exec Board Member standing tall, but enraged over the blatant intolerance embraced by the white students who fled the scene after their humiliating confrontation.

This is the second situation in recent weeks where a La Raza Board Member has been a target of a hate crime.

The Campus Alliance de La Raza is encouraging ALL MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY TO AVOID WALKING ALONE AT NIGHT. Racial tensions are high on campus - if you need a ride somewhere, please call 831-2222 for an escort or if you prefer - call one of your La Raza Executive Board Members. We have to have each others backs because if we don't, no one else will!!

En La Union Esta La Fuerza - The Campus Alliance de La Raza

_____________________________

Finally – The following link is to the Facebook Profile of “Adolph Hitler” – real name: Matthew T. S.. This is just another example of how prevalent racism and hate are on this campus. We encourage you all to read the praise Matthew receives from his peers on his “wall” – including one request from a University of Delaware freshmen student asking Adolph to systematically murder the Mexicans living in her area.

If you thought that as a society, we had progressed beyond this – think again. Rest assured that La Raza will stand strong next to The Black Student Union, The NAACP, HAVEN and any other like-minded organizations in our struggle for the establishment and sustainability of a safe environment that is conducive to the intellectual and social development of ALL members of the University community – especially those who identify with the African American, Latino and LGBT communities.

http://delaware.facebook.com/profile.php?id=11310002

The Campus Alliance de La Raza
En La Union Esta La Fuerza
218 Trabant University Center
http://udel.edu/stu-org/CALR/

Thursday, October 20th, 2005
University of Delaware President Roselle Issues Statement Regarding Recent Hate Crimes

To the University of Delaware community:

The University of Delaware is committed to being a diverse community that provides a safe and hospitable environment for all students, faculty and staff, irrespective of racial and ethnic background, religious beliefs or sexual orientation. Many persons of good will have worked diligently to break down the barriers that separate people and create a living and learning environment where differences are celebrated, not feared.

However, recent events make it clear that not all share the commitment to diversity. Our community has been the site of hate crimes and bias-motivated threats and acts. Such behavior not only victimizes individuals, it also threatens the purposes and security of our entire community. Eliminating such behavior requires more than educational programs.

The University of Delaware must and will have a zero tolerance for hate. There is no place at the University of Delaware for those whose credo is meanness and whose method is intimidation. Those who engage in acts of hatred and bias-motivated threats and behavior will be confronted, prosecuted and expelled from our community.

I urge all members of the student body, faculty, staff and professionals to join me in implementing a zero tolerance for hate. My request of you is that every incident be reported. In turn, my pledge to you is that every reported incident will be investigated, and all guilty parties will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law and, when applicable, through the University's judicial systems.

Working together we will ensure that all members of the University community feel in full measure the support they deserve. The values that underpin our community will prevail.

Sincerely,

David P. Roselle
President

Saturday, October 15, 2005
La Raza Executive Board Member Target Of Violent Hate Crime

During the early morning of Saturday, October 15, 2005 - members of La Raza's Executive Board and The NAACP's Vice President were meeting in the Christiana Commons to prepare for the arrival of over 100 students who would be participating in The Millions More March that was taking place in Washington DC later that day.

While walking from Pencader towards the Christiana Commons meeting location, one of La Raza's Executive Board members was approached by three white males - 2 of which blatantly deployed racial epithets and threats of violence. A violent exchange occurred leaving our Exec Board Member standing tall, but enraged over the blatant intolerance embraced by the white students who fled the scene after their humiliating confrontation.

This is the second situation in recent weeks where a La Raza Board Member has been a target of blatant intolerance.

The Campus Alliance de La Raza is encouraging ALL MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY TO AVOID WALKING ALONE AT NIGHT. Racial tensions are high on campus - if you need a ride somewhere, please call 831-2222 for an escort or if you prefer - call one of your La Raza Executive Board Members. We have to have each others backs because if we don't, no one else will !!

En La Union Esta La Fuerza - The Campus Alliance de La Raza

Saturday, October 15th, 2005
The Millions More March

Earlier today, The Campus Alliance de La Raza, The Black Student Union, The NAACP, and The University of Delaware's Office of Residence Life sent over 100 students to Washington DC to participate in the Millions More March. The Coalition found themselves on the steps of the Capital Building, listening to individuals such as Dr. Cornell West, Jessie Jackson, Al Sharpton and others. The trip went smooth and La Raza would like to thank the Empowerment Committee for its hard work with respect to this initiative!

En La Union Esta La Fuerza - The Campus Alliance de La Raza

Tuesday, October 11, 2005
NCLR, NUL, NAACP, AAJC, AND LCCR CALL FOR UNITY AND FAIRNESS IN THE HURRICANE KATRINA REBUILDING EFFORT

Washington, DC – [Today Janet Murguia, President and CEO, National Council of La Raza (NCLR); Marc Morial, President and CEO, National Urban League (NUL); Bruce Gordon, President and CEO, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP); Karen Narasaki, President and Executive Director, Asian American Justice Center (AAJC); and Wade Henderson, Executive Director, Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR) released the following statement on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.]

As citizens and residents of this great nation, we share with our fellow Americans the hope and aspiration that New Orleans and the entire Gulf Coast region recover as quickly as possible from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. As the heads of several key American institutions, we have collaborated and will continue to work together in any way we can on disaster relief. As civil rights leaders and advocates for our respective communities, we recognize that members of all communities were profoundly affected by this disaster.

It is also true that we share with many officials and organizations in the region and throughout the country a deep frustration with certain aspects of the recovery effort. However, we are united in the belief that legitimate concerns should not be the catalyst for pitting one group against another. New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin's unfortunate comment at a public forum on October 6, "How do I ensure that New Orleans is not overrun by Mexican workers?" is an example of remarks that can divide Americans at a time when we need to be united.

Let us be clear about what the real challenges are. We are deeply concerned that contractors who have already begun the rebuilding process are being encouraged to bypass laws designed to protect wages and working conditions of construction and other workers. This is a recipe for abuse. We must ensure that our nation's laws are respected and that workers are treated with dignity and fairness, and our communities will work together to ensure that justice and equality prevail in the Gulf Coast.

We will also hold government officials and contractors accountable as they spend the funds the nation has dedicated to this effort. We must not compound the damage already done in the Gulf Coast in the way we rebuild, and the only way to rebuild New Orleans and other devastated areas is to ensure that the people who call these areas home have a strong voice and presence in the rebuilding of their communities. We can and must go forward in a manner that embodies the values and ideals that our nation and our people hold dear.

Monday, October 10, 2005
October GACHA Meeting

GACHA meeting Tuesday October 18th, 6:30pm
Legislative Hall, Dover

Please RSVP to La Raza, TheCALR@hotmail.com, by Sunday October 16th

La Raza is sending a Delegation to October’s meeting of the Governor’s Advisory Council on Hispanic Affairs. The event is taking place on October 12th at Legislative Hall in Dover at 6:30.

A small convoy will be leaving Newark at approximately 5:30pm. If you are interested in attending, please Contact Nina Grillo Balthrop, ninagb@udel.edu, La Raza’s Vice President of Delegation and Latino Affairs, or Jessica Ramirez, the Assistant Vice President at jeram@udel.edu.

This is a great opportunity to network with Delaware’s Latino Elite. The Council is filled with Politicians, CEOs, and educators – Business Casual Attire is required.

Friday, October 7, 2005
The Venezuelan Ambassador and La Raza

On October 6, 2005 - The Campus Alliance of La Raza sent a Delegation of 20 to Wilmington to meet a greet his Excellency, Bernardo Alvarez Herrera, the Ambassador of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to the United States, and the Honorable Leonor Osorio Granado, the Consul General of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to New York. The Delegation enjoyed an evening of Venezuelan culture, complete with fine wine, cuisine, art, music and dancers. The event was a great networking opportunity for the Delegation and we were honored to support Mayor James Baker in the initiative.

On Friday, October 7, 2005 - The Campus Alliance of La Raza hosted the Venezuelan Delegation at the University of Delaware. The event was attended by prominent local figures, such as Cecila Cardesa Lusardi of Voces Sin Fronteras, Gabriel Pilioneta of El Sol, Nancy Bastidas the CEO of Delaware Hispanic LLC, Richard and Magda Korn, and Representative Joseph Miro, as well as the media, President Roselle, faculty members, graduate students from the Political Science Department and the School of Urban Affairs and Public Policy, and of course - La Raza members.

The University has always been a setting for the exchange of ideas, and La Raza would like to thank its Graduate Student Advisor, Kim Wilson, for coordinating with Mr. Richard Korn and making the event possible.

En La Union Esta La Fuerza !!

Click Here For A News Article Associated With The Ambassador's Visit To Wilmington
Click Here For A Second Article
Click Here To Access The Photo Gallery
Click Here To See The UDaily Article On La Raza & The Ambassador

September/October 2005
La Raza and the Black Student Union

Below is an email from Stacy Richards - one of the most influential figures on campus - and the President of The Black Student Union. La Raza is proud to stand by the BSU and embraces it as a sister organization that is a part of one united community !!

En La Union Esta La Fuerza !!!

Ms. Moye,
Let me say that I am outraged after reading an article in the review entitled "Former Criminal speaks on Diversity." Tarilyn bought the article to my attention and after carefully reading it we have decided that something needs to be done. Our communities both African American and Latino are poorly represented and misquoted quite often in the review. How much can we take? The event was the opening of Latino heritage month and it is on pg 9. This event only happens once a year and our heritage has been buried in between horoscopes and the bookstore competing for the best sales. Secondly, Piri Thomas was never given the respect of having his name in the headline, instead it reads "Former Criminal speaks on diversity." The event was intended to bridge the gap between Afro-American and Latino cultures and they focused on his criminal background which was only a minute part of his speech. The first lines goes on to say "Piri Thomas looks more like a wise grandfather than a critically acclaimed Latino author and poet," tell me what does a poet look like? This article has really enraged us and both communities will be discussing what we should do at La Raza's community meeting. Even if this means pulling all articles from the review and using Pamoja for both communities to use. We have to do something, we can no longer stand for this.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Stacy C. Richards

Come out and support La Raza and the BSU at Wednesday's Community Meeting(September 28th, 2005):
5:00pm - 6:00pm, 209/211 Trabant

En La Union Esta La Fuerza !!! In Unity Is Strength !!
The Black Student Union and The Campus Alliance de La Raza

Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Clinton and La Raza
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..
La Raza & Bill Clinton In Washington DC

The Campus Alliance de La Raza had an incredible first year but 2005/2006 is looking even better !
Be Sure To Look Out For Our Empowerment Campaign, As Well As Our Stronger Relationships With The A. Philip Randolph Institute, The Black Student Union, The NAACP & The Governor's Advisory Council on Hispanic Affairs.

In 2004/2005, members of The Campus Alliance de La Raza traveled to Brazil, Barbados, Chicago, Denver, Boston, Washington DC, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia. This year, La Raza will again send its Executive & United Advisory Board members to conferences and graduate/professional schools around the country, most notably - Los Angeles & Miami.

We will continue our campus, local, and national struggles for social justice and the political empowerment of minority populations because we recognize that
Rhetoric Is Not Enough -- The Campus Alliance de La Raza Makes Real Contributions To Our Community !

En La Union Esta La Fuerza !!

Tuesday September 20, 2005
NCLR/CALR CALL TO ACTION

Hundreds of people are coming to Washington, DC on September 21 to speak with their members of Congress about the need for comprehensive immigration reform. In solidarity, please contact the White House and your members of Congress and ask them to support the “Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act” and fix our broken immigration system.

The time has come for the President and Congress to work together to enact comprehensive reform that rewards work, reunites families, reinforces our nation's security, respects the rights of US-born and immigrant workers, and redeems the American dream.

Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Edward Kennedy (D-MA), and Representatives Jim Kolbe (R-AZ), Jeff Flake (R-AZ), and Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), among others, have introduced a bi-partisan solution: the Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act (S. 1033/H.R. 2330). With your support, this comprehensive bill will bring order and sense to our chaotic, deadly, and unjust immigration system.

Please TAKE ACTION and urge President Bush, your Senators, and your Representatives to support comprehensive immigration reform that contains the following key principles:

1) Is Comprehensive 2) Provides a Path to Citizenship 3) Protects Workers 4) Reunites Families 5) Restores the Rule of Law and Enhances Security 6) Promotes Citizenship and Civic Participation and Helps Local Communities

Monday September 19th 2005
Invitation To Meet Venezuelan Ambassador/GACHA/MMM Meeting

http://www.magdakorn.com/venezuela/cultural-event.htm

An opportunity to wine and dine with His Excellency Bernardo Alverez Herrera, The Venezuelan Ambassador To The United States and the Honorable Leonor Osorio Granado, the Consular General of the Republic of Venezuela in New York.

October 6th 2005, 5:00-8:00pm.

Business attire is required and transportation will be provided. Guillermo, Mirian, and I will be away in Miami with the Caribbean Student Alliance and thus cannot attend. It is important that La Raza is represented at this event !!! We have received two invitations, one from our Advisor, Kim Wilson, and the second from Governor Minner's Advisory Council On Hispanic Affairs (GACHA) -- This is a great opportunity !! Our Advisor, Kim Wilson and Wanda Lopez from GACHA will be present - so our delegation wont be alone!

Please let Nina know if you are interested in attending: TheCALR@hotmail.com.

Also - Melody is heading a Delegation To The Governor's Advisory Council on Hispanic Affairs’ meeting tomorrow In Dover - She will be leaving Newark at approximately 5:00 and will return by 9:00pm. Please email us if you are interested in attending. Free Food and A GREAT Networking opportunity with the State's Latino Elite!

Finally - La Raza is hosting a Millions More March Organizing Committee meeting tomorrow at 9:00pm in the Christiana Commons Meeting Room A - Please feel free to attend. Representatives from La Raza, the NAACP, The BSU, The ORL, and The CBC will be present !!

En La Union Esta La Fuerza !

-- The CALR Executive Team

Saturday, Septmeber 17, 2005
GACHA Meeting

Reminder: GACHA meeting Tuesday September 20th
**Please note the location change**
Dover Art League
21 W. Loockerman Street
Dover, DE 19904
(Please RSVP by Monday)

The exhibition "Latinos de Corazon" features work inspired by Hispanic art and culture. Parking is available on the street and parking lots on the side streets. Feel free to bring your check book or credit card in case you see something you'd like to purchase!

Hope to see you all on Tuesday!
Regards,
Wanda M. Lopez
Executive Director
Delaware Governor's Advisory Council on Hispanic Affairs
302-292-1447

** CALR Members Attending The GACHA Meeting: Melody Casagrande -- melodyc@udel.edu

Sunday, September 4, 2005
El Sol Newspaper

El Sol newspaper which is a spanish weekly in Philly, is looking for two writers, latino/bilingual who can do some stories for them. Contact Craig Aleman ASAP if you guys are aware of any interested parties out there: 92076@udel.edu.

- The CALR Executive Team

Friday, September 2, 2005
CALR CALL TO ACTION

It took 4 days for one federal relief convoy to enter New Orleans, a city with a 67% African American population !!

Those who have been victimized are mostly poor racial and ethnic minorities!

Bush can send hundreds of thousands of soldiers to invade Iraq – within days he had aid in the Tsunami stricken regions of Asia – but IT TOOK 4 DAYS FOR ONE FEDERAL RELIEF CONVOY TO ENTER NEW ORLEANS and provide assistance to our brothers and sisters – mostly of color – who are dying in conditions that reflect a third world country !!

The Mayor of New Orleans, FEMA Officials, military personnel and Law Enforcement Officials from around the country have condemned the Bush Administration and FEMA for their deadly delayed response to the New Orleans disaster.

Click below to hear an interview with Ray Nagin, Mayor of New Orleans:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9173940/site/newsweek/

The Campus Alliance de La Raza is calling you to ACTION. Call your senators and state representative(s) and voice your concern with the lack of progress in New Orleans! Congress is already appropriating money for the relief efforts, but more needs to be done! ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!

Delaware Senator Joseph Biden: 202.224.5042
Delaware Senator Tom Carper: 202.224.2441
Delaware Representative Mike Castle: 202.225.4165

Samuel Rivera, srivera@udel.edu, has united with The Office of Residence Life and is heading La Raza’s efforts to help out our brothers and sisters within the African American community of New Orleans. More info to come soon -- Please contact him if you would like to assist.

Don’t forget -- Call your representatives on Capital Hill !!

En La Union Esta La Fuerza !! The Campus Alliance de La Raza

In Unity Is Strength – The Campus Alliance of The People

Wednesday, August 24, 2005
An Email From El Sol, One Of Our Community Allies --

Hola Greig, te scribo para pedirte informacion sobre las actividades que esten planificando para el mes de la herencia hispana.
Estamos preparando una edicion especial y me gustaria incluirlos
Salud
gabriel

Friday, August 19, 2005
La Raza Reaches Out To The Black Student Union

Greetings our counterparts within the Black Student Union –

The Campus Alliance de La Raza (CALR), http://udel.edu/stu-org/CALR/, The UofD Chapter of the NAACP, Revolutionary Rob and the Kappas, and the Office of Residence Life – Christiana Towers Complex, have united in an initiative to send University of Delaware students to the Millions More March, http://www.millionsmoremovement.com/, in Washington DC on October 15, 2005.

We would be honored if you would consider co-sponsoring this unprecedented coalition building initiative with us. The African American and Latino communities are often burdened by mutual social injustices, yet we have failed to consistently and effectively coordinate our efforts to alleviate such societal pressures within our respective communities.

It is important that La Raza and its counterparts within the Black Student Union take the lead with respect to coalition building initiatives between our two communities at the University of Delaware.

We hope that you would consider joining us in the endeavor, and with your approval, we would like to send a small delegation from La Raza to monthly BSU meetings (Nina Grillo-Balthrop, Craig de Mariana Aleman, and a few others) in an attempt to reinforce and nurture our developing relationship with your respective organization.

If you are interested in additional details, please contact us as soon as possible via email or phone, 302.393.3463.

En La Union Esta La Fuerza – In Unity Is Strength –

The Campus Alliance de La Raza

Saturday, July 16, 2005
The National Council de La Raza's Annual Conference, Philadelphia PA

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY), Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez, Education Secretary Margaret Spellings, U.S. Treasurer Ana Cabral, DNC Chair Howard Dean, RNC Chair Ken Mehlman, Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, Philadelphia Mayor John Street, Puerto Rican Governor Anibal Acevedo Vila, financial expert Suze Orman, Congressman Bob Menendez (D-NJ), CNN anchor Soledad O’Brien, Univision anchor Maria Elena Salinas, and National Urban League President Marc Morial are among the speakers at the 2005 Annual Conference of the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S., which will take place July 16-19 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia.

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The NCLR Annual Conference, the single-largest national Hispanic event of the year, attracts more than 23,000 participants, bringing together some of the nation’s foremost business and community leaders, government officials, and entertainers. This year's theme, A History of Service, A Future of Impact, reflects both the contributions that Latinos have made throughout the history of the United States during times of war and peace and the important role – economic, social, and political – that Latinos will play in this nation’s future.

Click Here to view a short video compilation of past NCLR Annual Conferences

For additional information, please visit http://www.nclr.org/conference

Friday, July 15, 2005
COURSE: The Battle Over the Courts: What's at Stake?

Young People For Announces Online Course for College Students on the Court Battle

With Supreme Court Justice O'Connor's announced retirement, the process to appoint her successor will dominate the news in the coming months. With Justice O'Connor's role providing the swing vote on critical 5-4 decisions regarding privacy, reproductive rights, affirmative action, government neutrality toward religion, and more, her replacement will have a profound impact on the direction of American law and society.

In this 6-week online course in our Progressive Online Academy we will examine the substance of what's at stake in detail and hear from activists on the political front lines. Return to campus in the fall energized and informed to fight back against the right wing echo chamber on your campus.

Tentative Schedule - week of …

July 25: Right Wing Nominees: Who are They and What do They Believe?
August 1: The Environment
August 8: Reproductive Rights
August 15: Civil Rights
August 22: Civil Liberties and Free Speech
August 29: Workers Rights and Corporate Power

The class will involve a few short readings distributed over email each week, online discussion, and a 1-hour weekly class conference call held from 4 – 5 PM EST each Thursday. To apply, send your NAME, SCHOOL, YEAR, and a short statement of interest to rgoodspeed@pfaw.org by July 20. The course is open to current undergraduates in 2-year or 4-year degree programs.

Thursday, July 7, 2005
Weigh In On The Supreme Court Vacancy !

Nadia Abdelkhalek, the CALR Liaison to Capital Hill, provided us with the information below. The invite was sent across the state's network of African American and Latino leadership, providing them, and us, with the opportunity to speak with the Offices of Senators Biden and Carper.

Greetings All:

As many of you, the U.S. Senate is expected to consider President Bush’s nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court vacancy created by the resignation of Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. People for the American Way, a non-profit organization, is planning to host two meetings with the Offices of U.S. Senators Biden & Carper to allow Delawareans to express their views on the President’s nominee and the nomination process.   If you are interested in attending one of the meetings, you must register at the following website: http://tools.pfaw.org/idm/home.asp. The dates of the meetings are as follows:

(i) Office of U.S. Senator Biden: July 12th at 11:30am (Wilmington Office); and

(ii) Office of U.S. Senator Carper: July 7th at 12:00pm (Wilmington Office).

Special thanks to La Raza for informing us of this special opportunity.

Also, attached for your review is an information timeline on U.S. Supreme Court nominations provided by the White House for distribution.

Disclaimer: Please note, the invite contained herein is for informational purposes only and not an endorsement of the views promulgated by People for the American Way.

Chipman L. Flowers, Jr., Esq.

Thursday June 30, 2005
La Raza Lunch Invite

Dear La Raza,

Nancy Bastidas (advisor for LPAC and GACHA council member) has requested that Campus Alliance de La Raza join her for lunch (ON HER!!!) at TGI Friday’s (the one near Concord Mall) on July 14th @ noon. We can take up to 20 members and transportation to the restaurant will be provided for members who need it. Please RSVP by replying to this email so we can get an idea of who is going. This is a great opportunity to network so please make an effort to come!!!!

Thank you,
Mirian J. Zambrana
Executive Board

P.S. If any of you have any specific questions you can personally email me at mirita@udel.edu

Tuesday June 7, 2005
Housing Policy And Its Impact On Latinos

The Campus Alliance de La Raza has produced a paper on The Social Consequences of Inadequate Affordable Decent Housing and the State of Racial and Ethnic Minorities In Urban Metropolitan Areas. For A Free Download Of This Work, Please Click Here. All Inquiries Associated With This Work Should Be Sent To TheCALR@hotmail.com.

En La Union Esta La Fuerza.

Friday May 27, 2005
The Next Million Man March

Greetings:

This summer, I am going to be working with the Chairwoman of La Raza’s Social Justice Committee, Rosa Milan, the CALR Graduate Student Advisor, Lionell Flamer, and The University of Delaware’s Own Revolutionary Rob on organizing and sending hundreds of people to:

The Next Million Man March -

http://www.millionsmoremovement.com/home.htm

We want to provide buses for people of all colors from UD to attend. The March is going down in October of this year, commemorating the original Million Man March that took place in 1995.

We are inviting La Raza, The Black Student Union, the NAACP, Lambda Theta Phi, Alpha Phi Alpha, Kappa Alpha Psi, and Omega Psi Phi to join us in heading this initiative that is pushing for the upward mobility of men of color.

Please spread the word this summer, and if you are interested in assisting with this Monumental Empowerment Opportunity, please indicate so by responding to this email or contacting me at 302.393.3463.

En La Union Esta La Fuerza, The Campus Alliance de La Raza.

CMA

Wednesday May 25, 2005
NCLR REPORT FINDS MANY HISPANIC HOMEBUYERS VULNERABLE TO PREDATORY LENDERS

Report Calls For Congress and Industry to Address Gaps in Consumer Protections

Washington, DC - Today the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S., released Jeopardizing Hispanic Homeownership: Predatory Practices in the Homebuying Market, the first report to provide a comprehensive analysis of the mortgage products and lending tactics targeted at Hispanic homebuyers. The report examines the homebuying and refinancing experiences of Latino homebuyers and the abusive lending tactics that steer Latino families into unnecessarily expensive products.

"Homeownership is the ultimate symbol of the American Dream, but it is inconsistent with our values that we allow predatory mortgage lenders to cheat many Hispanic homebuyers from fully enjoying the economic benefits of this classic marker of success," stated Janet Murguia, NCLR President and CEO. "We must do more to protect all consumers from unscrupulous lenders and ensure that the mortgage industry provides equal opportunity for all Americans to get the 'best deal' possible when purchasing a home."

Jeopardizing Hispanic Homeownership: Predatory Practices in the Homebuying Market confirms longtime concerns expressed by consumer advocates, community leaders, and the experiences of the NCLR Homeownership Network - a group of 38 NCLR affiliates providing homeownership counseling to more than 25,000 Latino families annually. Key findings of the report include:

•   Hispanic homebuyers are two times more likely than White homebuyers to finance with the most expensive mortgage products.

•   Hispanic homebuyers are far less likely than other homebuyers to refinance, and those who do refinance are likely to use an expensive product. As a result, these Hispanic families are missing opportunities to gain home equity and to increase their assets.

•   As many as four out of five Latinos access loans through commission-based mortgage brokers, whose inconsistent licensing requirements and limited federal oversight can leave consumers vulnerable.

"The bottom line expressed in this NCLR report is that predatory lending is needlessly costing Latinos money and undermining their hard-earned efforts to accumulate assets for their families," continued Murguia. "We must address these disparities and inefficiencies in the mortgage lending market to more sufficiently protect Hispanic homebuyers."

In response to its findings that Hispanic homebuyers often fall victim to predatory mortgage loans, the report calls on Congress to improve consumer protections and hold the mortgage industry accountable so that Latino families can join with other Americans to maximize the gains from homeownership. Key recommendations to federal legislators include increasing protections for consumers and enforcement of brokers and financial institutions, creating a regulatory body to monitor mortgage brokers, supporting community-based housing counseling programs, and creating incentives to ensure that quality mortgage products reach hardworking Hispanic families.

"We are encouraged that Congress is taking this issue seriously and holding hearings on the issue, but we are concerned that the national dialogue has not included some of the specific issues faced by Latino families. As the national debate on predatory lending moves forward, Hispanic community leaders, Congress, and the mortgage industry must work together to address the challenges faced by Hispanic families who want to buy homes and build assets," Murguia concluded.

For more information or to download a free copy of NCLR's report, Jeopardizing Hispanic Homeownership: Predatory Practices in the Homebuying Market, please visit www.nclr.org or contact Alexandra Jost at (202) 785-1670. You may also access additional information on Hispanic homeownership in the U.S. on the NCLR's Homeownership web page.

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Wednesday May 18, 2005
NCLR HAILS THE ELECTION OF ANTONIO VILLARAIGOSA AS MAYOR OF LOS ANGELES

Washington, DC - The National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S., hails the momentous victory of Antonio Villaraigosa, who today becomes Los Angeles, California's first Latino mayor since 1872.

"Villaraigosa's election marks an historic moment for Latinos throughout the nation, who join with the entire Los Angeles community in celebrating the long-awaited return of a Latino mayor to the city with the largest Latino population in the country," stated Janet Murguia, NCLR President and CEO. "Today is also significant for the people of Los Angeles who are fortunate to have such a committed and capable leader who will work tirelessly to ensure that Los Angeles is responsive to all of its residents."

"Villaraigosa won this election with a broad base of supporters, and it is especially heartening that Angelenos came together from so many different communities to support a Latino candidate," Murguia continued. "This victory speaks to Villaraigosa's unique purpose as a unifier of diverse communities, and we welcome his forward-thinking leadership at the national level."

###

Monday, May 16, 2005
Reminder

GEAR-UP's Celebration of Achievement is this Thursday from 6-8pm in Wilmington. The APRI Empowerment Breakfast is Friday from 8am until 10am. GACHA's Strategic Planning is all day Saturday 8:00am until 3:00pm. Details are Below --

Sunday May 15, 2005
GACHA Strategic Planning This Saturday

Although the CALR is inactive, a small delegation of us will be sent to the GACHA Strategic Planning Event this Saturday at Dover Downs from 8:00am until 3:00pm. Email Nina, Our New Vice President of Delegation And Latino Affairs, If You Are Interested In Attending.

Friday May 12, 2005
Latino Student Of Distinction Awards Today

Come out to The Bob Carpenter Center tonight at 7:00pm to show your support for the dozens of HOLA and La Raza members who are being recognized for their academic excellence! Transportation will be provided - please call 302-393-3463.

Wednesday May 11, 2005
La Raza Wins UofD Leadership Award !!

The Campus Alliance de La Raza was recognized as the Best New RSO at this year's annual Leadership Awards! We Doin The Damn Thing !! It feels great to be recognized for all of our hard work!

Wednesday May 11, 2005
NCLR CONDEMNS PASSAGE OF THE REAL ID ACT

Washington, DC – The National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S., denounced the passage of the “REAL ID Act,” included as part of the Iraqi supplemental appropriations bill which achieved final passage today in Congress.

“Latinos are deeply committed to fixing our broken immigration system, and we look to the President and Congress to push for comprehensive immigration reform,” stated Janet Murguia, NCLR President and CEO. “But the ‘REAL ID Act’ is a great step backward in the road toward meaningful reform.”

The “REAL ID Act” will have severe consequences for states, licensed drivers and those seeking to obtain licenses, as well as Latinos and immigrants. First, it will force all states into a costly and unnecessary overhaul of their driver’s license policies. It will place additional burdens on all driver’s license applicants who will have to prove U.S. citizenship or legal immigration status, resulting in red tape, delays, and increased fees. In addition, the “REAL ID Act” will create a multitiered system in which U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents will have one type of license, and lawful temporary immigrants will have an easily distinguishable temporary license. This type of system opens the door to widespread discrimination and civil rights violations. Finally, because many drivers will be ineligible for licenses or will be discouraged from obtaining them, “REAL ID” will take away a key law enforcement tool by excluding large numbers of residents from the comprehensive government driver’s license database which is used to track down and capture criminals as well as terrorists.

“Immigration documents are extremely complex. People who work in state motor vehicle departments are not immigration agents, nor should they be. Errors are inevitable, and people who are driving on our roads will go without licenses,” noted Murguia. “That undermines everyone’s safety.”

The “REAL ID Act” will also place strict restrictions on asylum seekers, making it much more difficult for persons fleeing persecution to get relief in the U.S., and will deny legal immigrants the ability to challenge their detention.

The “REAL ID Act” has been touted as a national security measure. However, it would not have prevented any of the 9/11 terrorists – all of whom had valid passports from their home countries as well as visas issued by the U.S. government – from getting on planes, and it takes valuable resources away from more effective counterterrorism initiatives. “The 9/11 Commission recommended driver’s license standards to increase security and reduce fraud, which were passed as part of the Intelligence Reform Act in December. The ‘REAL ID Act’ repeals those important and carefully-considered provisions, halts the important work that has already been done to implement them, and replaces them with a policy that was added to this bill without full deliberation,” continued Murguia.

“It is very disturbing that the ‘REAL ID Act’ bypassed all regular congressional channels and was rammed through on the Iraqi supplemental bill,” continued Murguia. “The ‘REAL ID Act’ was attached to the appropriations bill by the House of Representatives. It was never debated in or passed by the Senate and never went through regular committee processes in either chamber.”

“It is particularly offensive that these provisions are part of the bill funding our troops in Iraq and tsunami victims in Asia. There are so many Latino soldiers fighting and dying in Iraq, and this bill will ultimately hurt their families and communities in the U.S.,” concluded Murguia. “The Latino community will hold our nation’s leaders accountable for this extremely damaging and irresponsible piece of legislation.”

####

Monday May 9, 2005
NCLR CALLS GANG DETERRENCE BILL HARMFUL AND INEFFECTIVE

Washington, DC - The National Council of la Raza (NCLR), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S., today expressed its strong opposition to H.R. 1279, the "Gang Deterrence and Community Protection Act of 2005" - scheduled to be debated in the U.S. House of Representatives next week - stating that the bill would undermine public safety and fail to deter crime.

"No community is more affected by the issue of gangs than the Latino community, and no community has a bigger stake in winning the fight against gang violence. Yet, this legislation, touted as a 'tough on crime' measure, will neither reduce crime nor protect communities," stated Janet Murguia, NCLR President and CEO.

Among its key provisions, H.R. 1279 would transfer more youth into the adult criminal justice system. "The evidence is crystal clear - putting youth into the adult criminal justice system increases, not decreases, crime. Once they are released, young people tried as adults are more likely to commit another, often violent, crime more quickly than those youth tried as juvenile offenders. They are also at greater risk of being victims of violence during their incarceration."

The bill would also create a new category of crimes - "gang crimes" - in which mandatory minimum sentences will be imposed. "Mandatory minimum guidelines have been shown to be discriminatory against minority communities, resulting in harsher sentences and longer prison terms for African Americans and Latinos than for Whites. By focusing on punitive measures rather than more effective gang prevention, intervention, and suppression programs, H.R. 1279 virtually guarantees that we will lose another generation to a life of crime," noted Murguia.

Finally, the bill expands the definition of "criminal street gang" to include a group of three or more who commit at least two offenses, including misdemeanors. "We are extremely concerned with the profoundly disruptive effect on our communities of rounding up innocent kids as 'suspected gang members'," continued Murguia.

"We need to end the scourge of gang violence in our country, but we need to do it in a smart, effective, and fair way. Congress should reject H.R. 1279 and instead provide more support for prevention, treatment, and alternatives to incarceration programs and more resources to those on the front lines of this issue - our state and local justice systems," Murguia concluded.

###

Friday May 6, 2005
The CALR Retreat

The Campus Alliance de La Raza had its First Annual Retreat from April 21 to 24 in Boston, MA. We used our time in Boston to tour graduate schools, network with Latino professionals, attend La Alianza's Annual Conference at Harvard University, and set out a strategic agenda for the 2005/2006 academic year.

Some of our greatest highlights for 2005/2006 include our new relationship with the Delaware Political Action Committee, our Book Drive for economically disadvantaged children in the city of Wilmington, and possible trips to Los Angeles, Puerto Rico, and The Dominican Republic.

Keep An Eye Out For What We Do Next !!

Pictures From La Raza's Retreat Have Been Posted
(Many More To Come)
La Raza's 2005 Retreat
.
The Itinerary
La Alianza Conference, The CALR Retreat, & Graduate & Law School Visitation
Boston MA
April 21-24, 2005

Thursday May 5, 2005
The CALR Invited To Attend The GEAR-UP Program's Celebration of Achievement

The Campus Alliance de La Raza has been invited to attend The GEAR-UP Program's Celebration of Achievement at The University of Delaware's Arsht Hall in Wilmington on Thursday May 19th, 2005. The event begins at 6:00pm; therefore, we will leave campus at 5:30 and return immediately following the celebration. The GEAR-UP Program's initiatives fall within the scope of the CALR's mission: promoting academic excellence among minority populations - thus, it is important for our organization to show its support. Please email Jissell Martinez at jissellmartinez@hotmail.com if you are interested in attending.

Thursday May 5, 2005
The CALR Invited To The APRI's Empowerment Breakfast

As conditions in our society continue to develop in a way which forces many of us, our friends and neighbors to face a future of diminishing returns, the members of the Laborer’s Union International of North America (LIUNA) and the Delaware A. Philip Randolph Institute (APRI) feel that it is time for Clergy, Labor and members of our communities to meet and discuss ways to ensure just and fair treatment for all our brothers and sisters.

The members of LIUNA and APRI invite you to join us for breakfast on Friday, May 20, 2005.   The theme of our event is: ‘Walking the Path Toward Justice’. Our host is Ezion-Mt. Carmel United Methodist Church at 800 Walnut Street in Wilmington*. Breakfast will begin at 8:30. There is no charge for this event.

We are pleased to have as our guest speaker Reverend Kevin Agee of the Jubilee Interfaith Organization. This New Jersey project has successfully brought Faith Communities, Organized Labor and communities together for victories in worker’s rights, housing and economic opportunity. Reverend Agee will share with us the process and struggles that have yielded their successes. There will also be brief statements on the current work to finance health care that is accessible to everyone residing in our state and establish policies to construct more housing for low and moderate income wage earners in Delaware’s economy. We feel that this program will clearly define some of the challenges before us.

It is our belief that any successful coalition must reflect our society's diversity. Our intention is that the composition of this breakfast is interfaith, interracial, and interdenominational. We hope that you will join us in making this and future events a success. Email Nina, ninagb@udel.edu, if you are interested in attending.

Thursday May 5, 2005
The CALR Invited To A Rally to Condemn the REAL ID Act

The Campus Alliance de La Raza will be participating in an event to condemn The REAL ID Act on Saturday May 7, 2005 at Richard Montgomery High School, 250 Richard Montgomery Dr., Rockville, MD 20852. (Three Blocks from Rockville Metro Station).

We will join the National Council of La Raza, RECOLAO, Maryland Latino Coalition for Justice, and Friends of New Marylanders; five thousand immigrants - in this peaceful but powerful protest of the REAL ID Act.

This Saturday, five thousand immigrants will gather to reject the REAL ID Act, federal legislation which would eliminate drivers licenses for undocumented workers, remove essential rights from people escaping political violence and religious persecution, and construct physical barriers within US borders.

"This anti-immigrant and inhumane legislation will not increase safety in our nation - instead it will make millions of people that live in our neighborhoods hide even more," said Gustavo Torres, Executive Director of CASA of Maryland. "It would make our community drive without any type of driver's license and car insurance every time they go to work," said Mr. Torres.

This Saturday, May 7, a massive gathering of thousands of immigrants, their friends and allies will come together to reject the REAL ID Act and condemn the two major political parties for turning their backs on Latinos and immigrants just after the presidential elections.

"The passage of REAL ID demonstrates how little President Bush, the Republican party as a whole as well as Democrats respect the immigrant workers of this nation," said Octavio Ramírez, Montgomery County Workers Committee Leader of CASA of Maryland.

For two years, political leaders in Congress have promised that comprehensive immigration reform was needed to repair a broken system that often leaves workers risking their lives crossing the desert and employers with empty factories. Despite election-year commitments, no reform package has been advanced and instead undocumented workers will bear the brunt of the broken system through passage of REAL ID.

"We call to all our leaders of this nation to understand that the only realistic way to take control of our immigration system and to make our country a safer place is by reforming our immigration system through legalization," said Father Simón Bautista, Latino Missioner of the Episcopal Dieses of Washington.

Saturday's event will feature real-life stories of immigrants, rousing presentations, and a call to action.

###

Thursday May 5, 2005
The President of HOLA named La Raza's Figure Of The Year !

The Campus Alliance de La Raza named Melody Casagrande, the President of HOLA, as its "Figure of the Year". Melody has been instrumental in the establishment and unparalleled success of our organization, and she has incorporated the ideology of La Raza into her very essence.

First and foremost, Melody is the President of HOLA, the core of the Latino community at the University of Delaware. She has been an inspiration to all in our community and has personally mentored several of our younger students, providing them with the resources they need to enjoy successes similar to her own.

Her academic record has been recognized with distinction, and she is a veteran among the ranks of the University's Elite Ronald E. McNair Scholars.

Melody has been an instrumental figure in the regional community as well, contributing significantly to the GEAR-UP Program and the Earned Income Tax Credit Initiative of the Delaware Region. Dr. Melva Ware, the Director of the GEAR-UP Program, says that Melody in held in very high esteem and its an honor to be able to work with someone of her caliber. Other members of the community are watching Miss Casagrande and her career with great interest. Congratulations gyrl! We are so honored to call you one of our own!

Your Plague, Flowers, And Additional Recognition Are Coming Soon !!

The CALR Executive Team

Dear La Raza:

Thank you very much for granting me the honor of being the first recipient of La Raza's Figure of the Year Award. I cannot put into words how grateful I am. I just want you all to know that I am extremely proud of La Raza and the efforts you all have put into assuring its success this year. I am proud to be a part of La Raza and will continue with ambition to carry out our mission of empowering minorities especially Latinos. Once again, thank you for this great honor.

Melody

Thursday May 5, 2005
NCLR WITHDRAWS 2006 ANNUAL CONFERENCE FROM LOS ANGELES

Labor dispute results in change of venue

Washington, D.C. -- The National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S., announced today that it will not hold its 2006 Annual Conference in Los Angeles due to the current labor dispute between the Los Angeles Hotel Employer's Council and UNITE HERE, the labor union representing hotel workers. NCLR's Conference, the largest national event of the year in the Latino community, attracts thousands of participants to its host city, generating millions of dollars in business for hotels, restaurants, and the surrounding economy.

"It would be inconsistent with who we are and what we do as an organization to hold a large event in the city while these negotiations are under way. First, a great many of the workers in the hotel industry are Latinos and immigrants. Second, a number of NCLR's affiliates and other community leaders who attend our Conference are supportive of the effort to improve and expand opportunities for these workers," stated Janet Murguia, NCLR President and CEO.

"There is no question that a labor dispute would make it impossible for many of our participants to attend. This would, of course, make it impossible to hold a successful event," said Murguia. "We hope that these labor issues will be resolved in a way which serves the needs of the workers and the industry. When that happens, we'd be delighted to investigate the possibility of returning to Los Angeles for a future event."

The new site for the 2006 NCLR Annual Conference will be announced next month. "In choosing a Conference site, we will always take into consideration how responsive a community is to its Latino residents and their issues of concern. We are aware of the power of our advocacy network and of our economic clout as a community. If we believe the environment in a particular city or state is hostile to the interests of Latinos, our leadership will not hesitate in taking its business elsewhere," concluded Murguia.

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Tuesday April 26, 2005
The CALR Announces Its New Relationship With LPAC

The Campus Alliance de La Raza has announced that it will be taking over The Delaware Latino Political Action Committee!! More details to follow !!

Monday April 25, 2005
Voter Registration Initiative & CALR Fundraiser

On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, The Campus Alliance de La Raza will have a voter registration drive and candy sale fundraiser in Trabant from 11:00am to 3:00pm. The CALR strongly believes that we as a community cannot wait until 2007 to mobilize volunteers to register racial and ethnic minorities to vote. Civic participation is inadequate within the African American and Latino communities and the CALR is doing its part to empower our communities today and tomorrow.

We'll See You All There !! Viva La Raza !!

Thursday, April 21, 2005
CALR Retreat

The Campus Alliance de La Raza will be traveling to Boston for its first annual retreat. Topics that will be discussed include:

The National Council de La Raza (NCLR), The Structure Of La Raza, New Officer Orientation, The Governor's Advisory Council on Hispanic Affairs (GACHA), The Latin American Community Center, Voces Sin Fronteras, HOLA, The Black Student Union, Leadership Development Exercises, The APRI Institute, The Latino Leadership Council, The President's Council on Diversity, Strategic Initiatives, Multi-cultural house, Minority Publications, The Delaware Latino Political Action Committee (LPAC), Hispanic Heritage Month, La Raza's September Initiatives, Voter Registration Campaign, Minority Disparities Campaign including Health, Education, Wealth, & Housing, Programming, Fundraising, Voter Registration, Website Development Seminar, Latino Student Alumni Association, Each One Reach One, Conferences - The NCLR In July, Ronald E. McNair Scholar Program, Academic Enrichment Center, SPSS, and GEAR-UP.

Photos of the retreat have been posted.

Wednesday, April 20, 2005
CALR Elections

CALR Elections are today. Absentee ballots will be available via email. Winners will be announced at the HOLA/La Raza Banquet on May 4, 2005.

Monday April 17th 2005
GEAR-UP Summer Jobs !!

Below is a letter from Dr. Melva Ware, the Director of the GEAR-UP Program and a huge supporter of La Raza and its sister organization - HOLA.

*****
I have a couple of 4-6 week summer positions to work with rising 10th graders as team leaders for community-based workshops. Work begins June 11 (that is the only Saturday) and ends July 1. Second session begins July 5-15. Elect to work one or two session. First week (training), 9:30-3:30. Weeks 2-6, 10:00-2:00. Pay $10-$12 per hour.

Really interested in finding young men, please have interested students contact me by email or telephone (831-0374).

Thanx
Melva Ware

Saturday April 16, 2005
Voter Registration Initiatives And The CALR Elections

The Campus Alliance de La Raza provided over 80 individuals with voter registration information and registered an additional 15 on the site of HOLA's Urban Innocence. The CALR strongly believes that we as a community cannot wait until 2007 to mobilize volunteers to register racial and ethnic minorities to vote. Civic participation is inadequate within the African American and Latino communities and the CALR is doing its part to empower our communities today and tomorrow.

The Preliminary Ballot Is Now Available -- Elections For La Raza's 2005/2006 Executive Board Will Take Place On Wednesday @ 6:00 in Trabant 209/211

To View The Ballot, Please Click Here

Friday, April 15, 2005
Urban Innocence

Urban Innocence is tonight, Friday the 15th, In Clayton Hall! Please come out and show your support – La Raza will be registering the kids to vote – feel free to come in and volunteer anytime between 6:45 -9:00pm in Clayton Hall

Saturday – The LACC is having its youth of the year recognition interviews. We’re leaving the Towers at 8:15am – and will return around noon.

So far these people are down – Crissy, Sam, Craig, Mirian, Rosa, Justin, Josie (tentative), Melody (tentative). Email me or call me, 302.393.3463, if you want to be added to the list of volunteers – this will be a great opportunity to network while giving back to the community.

Those present at the event will include: Cecilia Lusardi – The United Nations’ Vice President of the Philadelphia Region, Jaime Rivera – the Director of Delaware’s Division of Public Health, UD Professor Julio Carrion, & Yvette Santiago of the Christina School District. There will also be plenty of business professionals, including: Noel Rodriguez, Carmen Rivera, Elena Gomez, Dipres, Carlos, Fernandez-Peters, Mercedes, Ines Polanco, Juan Vasquez, Guillermina Gonzalez-Sobrero, Tabatha Castro, Eddie Arocho, & Michelle Jewell.

Tonight at midnight is the deadline to accept your nominations – Elections are Weds from 6:00 – 6:30 in 209/211 Trabant. If you cannot make this meeting and would like to vote, please contact our Vice President of Administration at TheCALR@hotmail.com. Absentee ballots will be available Weds before and after the HOLA meeting and will also be distributed via email.

Immediately following the elections, many of us are going to The Black Student Union’s Exhibition of the Paul R. Jones Collection. The exhibition is open until 8:00pm – so we definitely got to check it out.

Have A Great Weekend !
Craig

Thursday, April 14, 2005
La Raza's Figure Of The Year Award

We are now accepting nominations for La Raza's Individual Of The Year Award --

The winner will be presented with a plaque and a gift certificate at the HOLA/La Raza Banquet being held at White Clay State Park on May 4th.

Please send us an unstructured unedited Blurb on why someone within our UD community should be presented with this award. This is not meant to be a burden on you – grammar, spelling, sentence structure etc will not matter --

This award is La Raza's highest honor -- please nominate each other or yourself -- Also - other great candidates include The President of HOLA, The President of the Black Student Union, Dr. Villamarin, Casandra Moye - etc.

This person does not have to be Latino - does not have to be in HOLA or La Raza. It should be someone who incorporates "pulling each other up" into their very essence. Please spread the word and encourage everyone and anyone to submit nominations to TheCALR@hotmail.com.

Winners will be selected by an independent panel consisting of HOLA and La Raza members. If you are nominated you obviously cannot sit on the panel – but if you are interested in being on the selection committee, please respond directly to this email.

Thanx & Have A Great Weekend
CMA

Wednesday, April 13, 2005
NCLR and Social Security Reform

TRANSCRIPT OF "SOCIAL SECURITY REFORM: WHAT'S AT STAKE FOR LATINOS" SHEDS MUCH-NEEDED LIGHT ON IMPACT OF SOCIAL SECURITY ON LATINOS

Washington, DC - Noting the need for greater Latino participation in the debate on Social Security, the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Latino civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S., today released the transcript of a featured session from the 2004 NCLR Annual Conference, The Great Debate: Social Security Reform, What's at Stake for Latinos. The discussion underscored both how critical Latino workers are to the well-being of the Social Security system and the important role Latinos must play in any reform proposals.

"This session generated a great deal of interest at our Conference last year, and we believe the panelists' discussion is even more relevant now given the current battle over the future of Social Security. One thing is clear: Latinos have a real stake in the outcome of this debate," said Janet Murguia, NCLR President and CEO.

The session featured panelists representing the full range of perspectives on the issue including Rep. Christopher Cannon (R-UT), Rep. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Peter Orszag of the Brookings Institution, and José Piñera of the Cato Institute. The panelists addressed how Social Security benefits Latinos and how it can be improved to meet the specific needs of the Latino community as well as the issue of privatization.

"If and when reform comes, policy-makers need to take into account the specific interests and concerns of Latino workers and beneficiaries. That is why, in addition to this transcript, NCLR will be releasing a comprehensive look at Social Security and its impact on the Latino community later this spring to help educate and inform policy-makers and our community about this critically important issue," noted Murguia.

To download a copy of the executive summary or the full transcript, go to www.nclr.org.

###

Wednesday, April 13, 2005
GEAR-UP, La Raza and HOLA

A letter Melody and I received from Dr. Melva Ware, the Director of the GEAR-UP Program at the University of Delaware:

Melody and Craig, I think that you both know that I hold you in very high esteem. I am honored to work with young people of your caliber. Keep doing what you are doing!!! The GEAR UP students are very fortunate to have you as their coaches and guides.

Thank you so much for all the support this year. I will personalize letters of thanks to each HOLA and LaRaza member, and each will get a certificate of recognition during our Achievement Celebration. I will forward you a list of those whose names I already have, and you can complete the information as necessary.

The program on Saturday was very powerful. The community needs your voices. It really helps parents to hear from you about the focus and hard work required to reach academic goals.

Please let your members know that we will continue the Student Achievement discussion at the LACC on April 29th at 6:30, and ALL are invited to participate.

Best
Melva Ware

Tuesday April 12, 2005
BSU, GEAR-UP, The Cubanito Scholarship, Software

For those of you not going on La Raza's Retreat -- please remember that The Black Student Union is having its demonstration on April 23rd -- details on our message board

Also - Dr. Ware needs HOLA/La Raza volunteers to go College Park on April 22nd with the GEAR-UP kids. She pays our organizations for your participation -- and I have it set up so all of La Raza's proceeds goes to HOLA to help fund our joint end-of-the-year banquet. For Example -- HOLA got $200.00 for the GEAR-UP Panel Discussion that La Raza set up - the one featuring Justin, Nina, Jissell, DJ, and Josie -- so it definitely pays to remain close to Dr. Ware and GEAR-UP! Any volunteers are encouraged to contact Josie, the HOLA coordinator at josie@udel.edu. (Additional Details Below)

Interested in being on The Cubanito Scholarship Selection Committee? Email our VP of Philanthropic Endeavors, Jackie Pillette, at gechina84@yahoo.com to let her know.

Finally - if anyone needs Microsoft Powerpoint, Excel, Word 2003, Publisher, Access, or Infopath -- contact me -- we can work something out and maybe get it to you at a discounted price. La Raza has your back.

Hey Everyone!!!
I'm sure you have heard of the GEAR UP community service we have been involved in for the last couple of years, well now is your chance to get involved!!! The students we work with have a very special opportunity coming up to go on a field trip to the University of MD at College Park and Morgan State in Baltimore. They will be leaving at 9am and returning around 6pm on Friday, April 22nd (a school day). Here's where we come in... Dr. Melva Ware, who has always been very supportive of HOLA, and has given us alot of money for our involvement over the last year, needs a couple of us to go with the students as chaperones on this trip. We will get a really great experience, as the students are really great and so are the organizers of GEAR UP, FREE FOOD, of course we will be fed, and a really great network, Dr. Ware is a wonderful woman to know as well as the whole GEAR UP coaching team, including myself! Also, there is one major benefit of this community service opportunity, Dr. Ware is willing to give HOLA $$$ for your involvement... that means more programs for you all in the future! If you are at all interested in this please let me know ASAP because Dr. Ware needs to know what's going on and if she can count on HOLA to be present this time. There are also lots of spanish speaking students going on this trip and it would be great if one of our spanish speaking members could volunteer as well, because there is a special need for you! Thanks guys... let me know whats up! Here's my e-mail
josie@udel.edu.

-Josie, HOLA community service chair

Tuesday, April 12, 2005
The Black Student Union's March

The Black Student Union is organizing a march that will take place on April 23, 2005, beginning at Memorial Hall and ending at Old College. This event will be held in honor of those who paved the way for the African American community to gain access to the University of Delaware. We will be addressing the black agenda here at the University, and we encourage participation from everyone of all races and backgrounds. Please come with signs that have inspirational quotes/ people/ or issues that you feel need to be addressed.

Opening ideas include:

Need for increased African American enrollment.

Need for increased sense of community.

Need for increased number of black faculty.

Need for expansion of the Black American Studies program

Need for an Anti- hate crimes coalition.

Please wear black and bring friends

Although 12 members of The Campus Alliance de La Raza will be attending a retreat in Boston, the organization will send all available members to the event to show our love and support for the African American Community.

En La Union Esta La Fuerza -- The Campus Alliance de La Raza

Monday April 11, 2005
La Raza Research For GACHA

Wanda Lopez, the Executive Director of The Governor's Advisory Council on Hispanic Affairs, needed data on national and state health care uninsurance rates by race. La Raza produced the data so that it could be passed along to Gus Rivera, the Director of of Public Health.

The links are below --

National Statistics:

Hispanics and health insurance coverage – 1987-2003. Pages 16-19, 52-58 & 69
http://www.census.gov/prod/2004pubs/p60-226.pdf

Health Insurance Coverage Status by Nativity, Citizenship, and Duration of Residence for Hispanic Population: 2003
http://pubdb3.census.gov/macro/032004/health/h09a_000.htm

Table HI03. Health Insurance Coverage Status and Type of Coverage by Selected Characteristics for Poor People in the Poverty Universe: 2003 Note: unrelated individuals under age 15 are excluded.
Hispanic Origin.
http://www.census.gov/prod/2004pubs/p60-226.pdf

State Statistics:

2000 Census Profile on Delaware
http://www.census.gov/prod/2002pubs/c2kprof00-de.pdf
Approximately 15.6% of Latinos nationwide lack health insurance. Using that assessment, one can reasonably assume that approximately 15% of Delaware’s 40,000 Latino residents lack health insurance, translating into approximately 6,000 residents.

Health Insurance Coverage Status by State for All People: 2003 Not poverty universe: unrelated individuals under age 15 are included
http://pubdb3.census.gov/macro/032004/health/h06_000.htm

Saturday April 9, 2005
Minority Overnight and GEAR-UP

The GEAR-UP Minority Achievement Seminar and The 2005 Minority Overnight were huge successes!!

The Campus Alliance de La Raza and its sister organization, HOLA, were represented at GEAR-UP by Zori Perez, Rosa Milan, Starr Newsome, Manoj Phillip, Melody Casagrande, Noelle Tucker, Justin Melis, Craig de Mariana Aleman, Jissell Martinez, Tara Little, Nadia Abdelkhalek, & Reggie Quarles. Our organization provided personal accounts of perseverance and excellence, serving as role models for the region's minority high school student population.

The CALR also participated in Minority Student Overnight on April 8th 2005, where we represented our organization and encouraged minority youth to accept their admission into the University of Delaware.

Finally - La Raza was represented on The Minority Overnight Student Panel by Craig de Mariana Aleman, Gabe Colon, and Missy Quiñones, where they satisfied the inquiries of prospective freshmen with respect to the University of Delaware campus community.

En La Union Esta La Fuerza, The Campus Alliance de La Raza

"None of us has gotten where we are solely by pulling ourselves up from our own bootstraps. We got here because somebody bent down and helped us."
- Thurgood Marshall

Tuesday, April 5, 2005
Nominations Thus Far For The 2005/2006 Executive Board

La Raza blew up its first year, and we need a strong Executive Board to keep things going -

You have til Friday April 15th to accept your nomination(s).

Guillermo Febres as President - Nomination Accepted

Craig de Mariana Aleman as President
Craig de Mariana Aleman as Executive Vice President - Nomination Accepted
Craig de Mariana Aleman as Vice President of Delegation and Latino Affairs - Nomination Accepted
Craig de Mariana Aleman as Vice President of Finance - Nomination Accepted

Jissell Martinez as Vice President Of Delegation and Latino Affairs - Nomination Accepted
Jissell Martinez as Executive Vice President - Nomination Accepted
Jissell Martinez as Vice President of Administration - Nomination Accepted

Nina Grillo-Balthrop as CALR Senator
Nina Grillo-Balthrop as VP of Administration
Nina Grillo-Balthrop as VP of Finance
Nina Grillo-Balthrop as Executive Vice President
Nina Grillo-Balthrop as Vice President of Delegation and Latino Affairs - Nomination Accepted

Nadia Abdelkhalek as Vice President of Administration - Nomination Accepted
Nadia Abdelkhalek as CALR Senator - Nomination Accepted
Nadia Abdelkhalek as Programming Director - Nomination Accepted

Reggie Q as CALR Senator

Doug Depte as Vice President of Finance - Nomination Accepted

Justin Melis as VP of Finance - Nomination Accepted
Justin Melis as Programing Director - Nomination Accepted

Christine Sienty as VP of Administration - Nomination Accepted
Crissy as Programming Director
Crissy as Philanthropy Director

Jackie Pilette as Philanthropy Director - Nomination Accepted

Rosa Milan as Programming Director
Rosa Milan as Philanthropy/Community Service
Rosa Milan as Vice President of Administration

Katie Feeley as Programming Director
Katie Feeley as Philanthropy/Community Service - Nomination Accepted

Noelle Tucker as CALR Senator - Nomination Accepted
Noelle Tucker as VP of Finance - Nomination Accepted

Lori Pena as Philanthropy Director
Lori Pena as Programming Director

Josie Bowman as Philanthropy/Community Service - Nomination Accepted
Josie Bowman as Programming Director

Sunday, April 3, 2005
La Raza Members Enter McNair Program

The Campus Alliance de La Raza would like to congratulate Claudia Rodriguez, The CALR's Assistant Vice President of Administration and The President of Lambda Pi Chi Sorority, Jackie Pilette, The CALR Vice President of Philanthropic Endeavors, Mirian Janeete Zambrana, The CALR Delegate to the Resident Student Association, and Senator Samuel Rivera, The CALR Delegate to the Caribbean Student Alliance and the Senator of the respective organization, for their recent acceptance into the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program!! You four have joined the ranks of the Nation's Minority Student Elite, and we applaud you for your accomplishments!
These inspirational individuals rest on pillars of excellence and perseverance, and The Campus Alliance de La Raza is proud to call you its own! We look forward to your future contributions to the Latino community, and anticipate your participation in La Raza's 2005 Retreat in Boston Massachusetts!!

En La Union Esta La Fuerza, The Campus Alliance de La Raza

The purpose of the Ronald E. McNair Program is to prepare and empower low-income, first generation college students and underrepresented students (of African American, Latino, and Native American descent) for doctoral study so that they complete a BA, enroll in graduate school, and attain a doctoral degree. As such, the ultimate goal of the Program is to increase doctoral degree attainment of students from underrepresented and/or low-income segments of society.

Currently, 156 McNair Programs in forty one states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, serve 3,774 students each year.

The Ronald E. McNair Program at the University of Delaware boasts a 100% percent success rate with respect to its students matriculating into graduate school. McNair Scholars are highly sought after in admissions offices around the country, because of their histories of perserverance and their dedication to excellence.

http://mcnair.udel.edu

Tuesday March 22, 2005
ACORN

ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, is the nation's largest community organization of low- and moderate-income families, working together for social justice and stronger communities, http://www.acorn.org.

La Raza recently received the below email from Angela Walker, Delaware's Executive Board President of ACORN, stemming from our presentation on Latino Civic Participation to the A. Philip Randolph Institute in Wilmington. The Campus Alliance de La Raza looks forward to developing a strong united working relationship with the organization and cant wait until our paths cross once again in the name of social justice. Angela Walker and ACORN - La Raza's newest public ally.

Craig,

I have enjoyed viewing your site and look forward to possibly meeting you and your friends again in the near future. I also enjoyed the conversation shared outside and only wish I had arrived earlier to hear U of D LPAC speak. Congratulation on your efforts and stay focused because you can make a difference.

Peace,

Angela Walker
ACORN

Saturday March 19, 2005
The A. Philip Randolph Institute and The Campus Alliance de La Raza

Craig, Melody, Katie, Christine, Lionell, Rosa, & Sam,

Thank you so much for your presentation at yesterday's event. The information you provided left us with much to think about as Delaware APRI advances its community building agenda. Even more, I would like to thank the members of U of D LPAC for their participation. APRI has always been supportive of the organization and their attendance underscored the importance of that commitment. Personally, I believe strongly in the need for LPAC and will continue to do everything possible to aid its development. If your members are ever in need of any advice or support, please feel free to call on me.

I am glad that Kirk Clay got to hear your work. I think that his invitation for you to participate in the Youth Summit a few weeks ahead will result in a significant contribution to the work we are doing at the national level. Please let me know if I can be of any assistance.

During the past year, APRI has begun to devote considerable attention to developing the participation of younger members. With that in mind, I invite your chapter of LPAC to make a short presentation at our next meeting about the chapter's work. If your members agree, I will place U of D LPAC on the agenda for a 15 minute slot. I know that our members will consider it an opportunity to develop a stronger, substantive relationship between our organizations. The next meeting will be on Saturday, April 9 at the Longshoreman's Hall. I believe you know the location.

Once again, on behalf of our members, thank you. I look forward to building a strong working relationship.

Mark Brunswick

A Philip Randolph, An Architect Of The Civil Rights Movement

Thursday, March 17, 2005
NCLR Coalition For Immigration Reform

NCLR JOINS BROAD COALITION IN SUPPORT OF COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM

Washington, DC - The National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S., today joined with a diverse array of leaders from labor, business, religious, conservative, and ethnic organizations to call on the President and Congress to enact comprehensive immigration reform this year. A news conference was held on Capitol Hill in anticipation of President Bush's meeting with Mexican President Vicente Fox next week.

"It is clear from today's event that there is a strong consensus that our immigration system is badly broken and must be fixed. The groups gathered here also demonstrate that there is widespread bipartisan support for comprehensive immigration reform and that there is a broad coalition willing and ready to work together to make it happen," stated Janet Murguia, NCLR President and CEO.

NCLR also restated what it believes should be the guiding principles of any reform effort. "Immigrants should be able to come to the U.S. legally, and their hard work and essential contributions to our society should be rewarded with a path to citizenship. We should reduce the unconscionably long waiting lists for Americans to reunite with their closest family members. And we believe that all of this must take place in a framework that respects the rights of all workers - immigrants and Americans alike," continued Murguia.

"We commend President Bush for putting this issue back on the table, and we are pleased that there is a bipartisan effort in the Senate, led by Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and Ted Kennedy (D-MA), to introduce legislation in the next few weeks. The President and Congress should move quickly to address our failed immigration system," concluded Murguia.

###

Saturday March 12, 2005
The GEAR-Up Symposium

Three officers of The Campus Alliance de La Raza, Jissell Martinez, Justin Melis, and Nina Grillo-Balthrop, sat on an inspirational panel at the GEAR-UP Symposium on March 12, 2005. The three discussed how they overcame various social barriers, making it to the University of Delaware and subsequently giving back to Latino community. This inspirational effort was a joint initiative between HOLA, contributing two additional members: Josie Bowman and DJ Taylor, and The Campus Alliance de La Raza, and we the CALR look forward to a lasting united relationship with HOLA as well as the other Latino organizations on campus. Congratulations Nina, Justin and Jissell - you three are definitely the future of HOLA, La Raza, and the other Latino entities on campus. Keep doing big things!

Wednesday, March 9, 2005
Internship Opportunity

The Delaware Democratic Party seeks enthusiastic and responsible interns for the current academic year. As interns, students will have ample opportunity to learn about internal Party operations, including press relations, message development, candidate support, campaign strategy, grassroots outreach, fundraising, and event planning. The internship provides a chance to
meet and work with Democratic public officials, party leaders, and candidates, while working alongside the party's professional staff. Interns often take responsibility for substantive projects as well.

Interns will work mainly at State Party Headquarters in New Castle, DE, during normal business hours, with the exception of some evening and weekend commitments. Internships are unpaid but may be taken for college credit, depending on the number of hours worked. Students may determine the number of hours and days per week they work and may set up a flexible but
regular schedule to accommodate classes and other commitments.

To apply, please send a resume and cover letter to:
Molly Jurusik
Delaware Democratic Party
P.O. Box 2065
Wilmington, DE 19899
Fax: (302) 328-9386
Email: delaware@deldems.org

In your letter, we hope that students will indicate whether they intend to take the internship for credit; how many credits they would like to receive and/or how many hours per week you would like to work; any special skills you may have (web design, accounting, computers, foreign language, etc.); and any particular interests you would like to focus on during your internship.

If you have questions, please feel free to contact Molly Jurusik via phone at (302) 328-9036. A Great Opportunity !!!

Monday March 7, 2005
Greek Info Session

Latinas Promoviendo Comunidad/Lambda Pi Chi Sorority, Inc.
Informational Session

Monday March 7th, 2005
7 pm
Trabant 205

Wednesday March 2, 2005
FREE Practice Exams

Practice GRE, LSAT, MCAT, DAT or GMAT
Free and Doesnt Count !
Saturday, March 5, 2005
Provides a baseline so you know how much
you need to do to prepare for the "real thing."
Given in Smith Hall between 12pm and 4pm

To register and get exact time, and room in Smith where your test will take place-
Call 1-800- kaptest
or register in person 10-3 in Trabant
or online at www.kaptest.com

Sponsored by Career Services

Tuesday, March 1, 2005
NCLR ALERT: Contact your sentator today to stop the REAL ID Act from becoming law!

“REAL ID” PUTS OUR COMMUNITIES IN REAL DANGER . PLEASE ACT NOW AND TELL YOUR SENATOR TO OPPOSE THE “REAL ID ACT”: THIS BILL WILL NOT MAKE US SAFER; WHAT WE NEED IS REAL IMMIGRATION REFORM

The “REAL ID Act” (H.R. 418), introduced by Representative Sensenbrenner, was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on February 10, 2005. If allowed to become law, the “REAL ID Act” would have devastating consequences for Latinos in the U.S. The bill has not yet gone to the Senate for a vote. Before it does, we must speak loudly and clearly about our opposition to this legislation.

Here is what is in H.R. 418 as it stands today. Remember, this is not law yet. Some of these provisions are complex. For more information on the particular sections of the bill, please see: http://www.nclr.org/content/policy/detail/29762/

• The “REAL ID Act” would restrict immigrant access to driver’s licenses. This bill would create different types of licenses based on a person’s immigration status. This will only leave drivers vulnerable to discrimination and abuse.

• It would give the Secretary of Homeland Security sweeping authority to waive all laws that would prohibit construction of barriers and roads along our nation’s borders.

• An amendment to the bill would empower bail bondsmen and bounty hunters to pursue, arrest, and detain immigrants.

• It would turn back victims of persecution, making it more difficult for those who may have legitimate claims to obtain asylum,.

• It would allow people to be deported before the conclusion of their federal court cases and would suspend the Great Writ of Habeas Corpus for the first time since the Civil War. These are very important legal rights in the United States and should not be taken away from immigrants.

When you contact your senator, please communicate the following:
1. This bill will not make us safer; it will only drive more people into the shadows.
2. The intelligence reform bill that just passed in December included provisions for federal standards on driver’s licenses and IDs. The Sensenbrenner bill doesn’t give that law a chance to be implemented and tested before imposing complicated and expensive new requirements on states.
3. We need real comprehensive immigration reform, not band-aid fixes that do nothing to improve homeland security or address the problems with our broken immigration system.
4. If the senator is faced with a decision to vote on a supplemental bill to fund military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and/or for tsunami relief funding, he or she should demand a “clean bill.” Immigration legislation needs to be considered in a comprehensive way and not as part of an emergency funding situation.

Tuesday, March 1, 2005
LULAC AND LCLAA LAUNCH: "LATINOS FOR A SECURE RETIREMENT"

Save Social Security, Don't Eliminate It

Las Vegas, NV - Today, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) and the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement (LCLAA) joined together at the annual AFL-CIO Executive Council meeting to launch "Latinos for a Secure Retirement," an advocacy effort to save Social Security. The coalition brings together labor, civil rights, and retirement organizations to ensure that the varied voices of the Latino community are represented within the important national debate that is taking place on Social Security reform. Social Security is a critical safety net that should be strengthened through careful and thoughtful reform, not destroyed. Carving out private accounts from the current Trust Fund will damage the safety net that many families depend on. Social Security was created to protect workers and their families at all stages of their life.

Latino families will be among those hardest hit if Social Security is privatized. Carving out "Private Accounts" from the Social Security Trust Fund for a few will irreparably damage it for the many. Latinos rely more heavily on Social Security for more of their retirement income and benefit over a longer period of time than most other population groups because of their longer life spans. Because a large number of Hispanics tend to have lower wages and less pension coverage, over three-quarters of Latinos rely on Social Security for at least half of their income. Approximately 45 percent rely on Social Security for 90 percent or more of their income, while about 38 percent rely on it for all of their income. Dismantling the system will strongly impact the health and welfare of many Hispanics driving them into poverty.

"LCLAA joined with LULAC in creating this broad-based coalition because if social security is privatized, it will lead to benefit cuts and trillions of dollars in debt at a time when the country is suffering from its worst deficit in history. It will create a crisis for the Latino community that currently does not exist," said Milton Rosado, National President of LCLAA. "LCLAA will not support any legislation that jeopardizes today's workers' retirement security and their families' well being."

"Many of the economic experts working on the President's proposal have made it clear that to create the private accounts, it requires a gross increase in the national debt - even if the accounts are voluntary. The payment of this debt will fall on young Latinos. It will mean a mandatory cut in benefits - not only for retirees but for people with disabilities, widows, and survivors," said Hector Flores, LULAC National President.

"The disabilities and survivor benefits are critical to Hispanic families. When one observes the growing number of Latino familias whose primary bread-winner becomes disabled on the job or even loses his or her life, it is critical that those benefits be kept intact," said Gabriela D. Lemus, Ph.D., Director of Policy and Legislation for LULAC. "We have a very complex picture: The Latino community is very young. It has high rates of injury and mortality on the job; the highest percentage of stay-at-home moms - who are not working and contributing to the retirement fund and are therefore dependents; high rates of poverty and near poverty at all age levels; low rates of asset holding - including low rates of home-ownership; complicated by low levels of financial literacy. The complexity of the picture of our community translates into fix the Trust Fund, don't deplete it."

The coalition will be holding a series of town halls in seven states including: Nevada, Arkansas, California, Illinois, Texas, Florida, New Jersey, and Michigan.

It is important for Latinos and it's important for America. We urge Congress to work together to strengthen Social Security to ensure that hard working Americans an their families will receive what they paid for.

###

Tuesday, March 1, 2005
Hate Crime Forum, Perkins Gallery

Don't think hate exists on your campus? Think Again... HATE CRIMES FORUM: AWARENESS & PREVENTION

Come for a discussion with Professor Ben Fleury-Steiner on the prevalence and elimination of hate crimes nationally and on OUR campus.

Tonight, 7pm - Perkins Gallery

"...Until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream." -- Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Sponsored by the Civil Liberties Union, HAVEN, The College Democrats, The Campus Greens, The College Republicans, Students in Public Interest, HOLA, Students Advocating Gender Equality, Men Against Rape Society, The Pakistani Student Association, The Socialist Student Union, Campus Alliance de La Raza, Office of Residence Life, Amnesty International, and Hillel, Lambda Theta Phi, Chi Upsilon Sigma

Tuesday, February 22, 2005
Equador Service Learning Opportunity

Applications are due on March 1, so that’s a little over a week away.

Want to make a difference in the world? Do you speak any Spanish? Do you Like working with children? Do you like to travel? Interested in learning more about diabetes?

What is AYUDA?

AYUDA is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping young children worldwide who live with type-1 diabetes. This July, AYUDA will be orchestrating a camp for underprivileged diabetic children in Ecuador, where we empower children to take better care of themselves and lead longer, healthier, and happier lives. Many children, because of misconceptions about their conditions as well as a lack of resources and education to treat themselves properly, often live sheltered at home from playing with others, and miss out on just being a kid. We bring education, supplies, and hope to these children and their families with the short-term goals of immediate treatment and long-term solutions for sustainable development and a heightened awareness about diabetes. Volunteers come from all different backgrounds—humanitarians, people with diabetes, lovers of children, future teachers, Spanish and medical students—their common bond is compassion, and a genuine desire to help…as AYUDA says, “juntos somos más fuertes!”--together we are stronger!

Benefits for Volunteers include: Spanish skills acquisition, volunteer experience, possible internship credit, diabetes training in real-life settings, teaching experience, non-profit organization work experience, international travel, professional contacts, great resume builder…not to mention friendship, inspiration, and personal fulfillment!

For more information about AYUDA, you can visit their website at http://www.ayudainc.net

Sunday, February 20, 2005
The Alumni Enrichment Award

The Campus Alliance de La Raza is applying for the Alumni Enrichment Award to subsidize the cost of attending The Latino Law and Public Policy Conference at Harvard University this April. Updates to follow.

Friday, February 18, 2005
CALR Nominates Nancy Bastidas As New Castle County Director of Communications

Below is a letter the Campus Alliance de La Raza sent to Mr. Richard Przywawa and Lynne Howard, two individuals who are involved in the selection process for the next Director of Communications for New Castle County.

The Campus Alliance de La Raza (CALR), the Latino political action organization at the University of Delaware, will be formally affiliated with the National Council de La Raza, the nation’s largest constituency-based Hispanic organization and the leading voice for the Latino community in Washington, DC.   Our organization has developed intimate relationships with many prominent leaders within the state of Delaware, and we are honored to nominate Nancy Bastidas as New Castle County’s next Director of Communications.

Nancy Bastidas is very well connected within the New Castle County community, and she has consistently been an informed and charismatic voice within the arena of public affairs. Through multiple capacities, including her positions as the CEO of Delaware Hispanic LLC, and her seat on Governor Minner’s Advisory Council on Hispanic Affairs, Ms. Bastidas has informed, educated, and improved the overall quality of life of many citizens in our community.

The Campus Alliance de La Raza has recognized the absence of Latinos within Executive Positions in the county. Our organization, affiliates, and the regional Latino community would celebrate the State of Delaware’s, and especially New Castle County’s, continued commitment to diversity. Ms. Bastidas’ qualifications and her commitment to the region make her an ideal candidate for the new post; therefore, we encourage you to do a great service to the region by appointing her New Castle County’s next Director of Communications.

Sincerely,
The CALR Executive Team

Friday, February 18, 2005
Job Opening: The LACC Drug And Alcohol Prevention Program

The Latin American Community Center is looking for a responsible young adult to implement a drug and alcohol prevention program. It is a part time position at the LACC, and resumes can be sent by e-mail or by fax.

The time one would work would be from 4 to 8 pm Monday - Friday.

If you have any questions please call;
Nelson Graciano
302-655-7338 ext.211

Wednesday, February 16, 2005
Multi-Ethnic Career Development Conference

Tthe 18th Annual Multi-Ethnic Career Development Conference taking place on Saturday, March 19th from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm in the Multi-Purpose Rooms of the Trabant University Center. This will be an awesome time to network and obtain information from alumni panelists and guest speakers about how to prepare for a successful career.

Hear J. Phillip Holloman, Vice President of Cintas, Inc. and Otis Ellis, Vice President at Morgan Stanley, share their success story. A continental breakfast and lunch will be provided. Register early, space is limited. Attendees are eligible to win a Dell Laptop, iPod, gift certificates and other incentives. To learn more about the conference or to register, go to the Career Services Center website at www.udel.edu/CSC and click on Multi-Ethnic Career Development Conference. Hope you will join us. Attire is business casual. Deadline to register is March 11th.

Wednesday February 16, 2005
The Latino Leadership Council

The Campus Alliance de La Raza is proud to announce its participation in the formation of a Latino Leadership Council (LLC). The LLC will most likely be a reflection of the Council that has been established within the Black community on campus.   This Friday, February 18, 2005, The Campus Alliance de La Raza will join Delegates from HOLA, The Society For Hispanic Professional Engineers, Chi Upsilon Sigma, Lambda Pi Chi, and Lambda Theta Phi at the Center for Black Culture, where our organizations will take the first steps in the direction of amplifying the voice of the Latino Community and the University of Delaware.

Monday, February 14, 2005
Education Cuts and "The Real ID Act"

President Bush’s proposed education cuts will eliminate the GEAR-UP program, adult literacy initiatives, and countless other vital educational initiatives from around the country.

His agenda embraces lining the pockets of corporate executives and stockholders while simultaneously ripping the possibility of a brighter future from millions of people, including inner city children and adults who incorporate perseverance into their daily struggle to survive.

Education is the key to upward mobility! When one thinks about it – this proposal is not inconsistent with the elite’s agenda. Keeping the economically disadvantaged segment of our society, especially racial and ethnic minorities, down maintains the status quo. This was evident in last week’s House approval of “The Real ID ACT”, which will eliminate procedural due process rights of immigrants challenging deportation, and greatly impacts the national Driver’s License Issue, http://www.nclr.org/content/publications/download/29652.

(Sigh). It’s going to be a tough four years -- Lets just hope that Senator Biden, Carper, and Representative Castle don’t let us down.

Wednesday, February 9, 2005
HOLA's Carnation Sale

HOLA, the core of the Latino community at the University of Delaware, is having its annual carnation sale today, tomorrow, and Friday, Feb 9-11, at the Kiosk in the Trabant University Center. Show your support for the Latino community by purchasing a carnation for yourself, a loved one, or friend. The cost is $2.00 and includes a card with a personal message, and campus wide delivery. Happy Valentine's Day From HOLA and The Campus Alliance de La Raza !

Tuesday, February 8, 2005
Kafe Kon Leche

The Nu Xi Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. along w/the Xi Chapter ofChi Upsilon Sigma & the Mu Pi Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Presents:
"Kafe Kon Leche"
A discussion about interracial relationships
Tonight!!
Christiana Commons at 7:11pm

Monday, February 7, 2005
A. Phillip Randolph Institute's Education Day

Our President has been asked to sit on a panel at the A. Phillip Randolph's Education Day seminar on March 19, 2005 to discuss Latino voter participation in the 2004 election. Melody Casagrande and Craig de Mariana Aleman will travel to Chicago, courtesy of the Office of Hispanic and Latin American Concerns, a week before the event to discuss this very issue at a National Conference. The Campus Alliance de La Raza invites you to attend the Education Day seminar in Wilmington next month. Transportation will be provided and more details will follow in the upcoming weeks. If you are interested in attending, please contact Craig de Mariana Aleman

Hi Craig,

APRI is holding its Education Day on Saturday, March 19. The theme is political performance and legislative gain. We have two national speakers, Kirk Clay, Deputy Director of the National Coalition for Black Civic Participation (Operation Big Vote) will speak about the shift in funding during the last cycle and how it affected community driven efforts. He will also speak about African-American voter performance. Rob Richie is Executive Director of FairVote, the Center for Voting and Democracy. He will speak about legislative issues for elections reform. APRI invites you to be on the morning panel to discuss Latino voter participation in the last cycle. I can send you more specific details in the near future.

Mark Brunswick
mbrunswick@mindspring.com

Sunday, February 6, 2005
Activities Nite - Trabant University Center

The CALR will participate in activities nite tomorrow, February 7, 2005, in the Trabant University Center. Representatives from the CALR will be on hand to answer questions about our organization, its mission, and our positive impacts on the local and regional Latino communities. Informational flyers and other information will be distributed.

Thursday, February 3, 2005
Conference Invite

Hey Alliance de la Raza!
My name is Zoe Palitz and I'm a senior at Yale University in Connecticut. I found your site when I was looking around UDel for student activist groups. I work with several progressive student organizations at Yale, including labor rights groups and the Pan-Ethnic Coalition. Students for a New American Politics (SNAP) at Yale is coordinating a conference this spring to get all progressive activist groups on campuses across the country working together.

In the wake of the lost presidential election, SNAP realized that students have a huge amount of energy and potential to offer the progressive movement in the United States. In order to be most effective, we believe that we must coordinate student progressive activism on a national level, not just at the local level. While local actions on our individual campuses are incredibly important and cause tangible differences and social justice reforms in our communities, coordinating that spirit and activism at a larger level than merely campus or city wide is necessary to affect social change at all levels. It is with this goal in mind that we are organizing the Don't Mourn, Organize! Conference for the weekend of April 16, 2005 at Yale University.

The conference has three goals: training, meeting and planning. It will serve as a forum for student leaders to receive activist training and to meet each other and familiarize ourselves with the work of those working in the same movements on different campuses as well as the work of those organizing around different issues. But more importantly than a forum, the major purpose and final project of the conference will be a East-Coast/national plan of action so that we can move forward on all our different causes with a united front and with the power of a large group of activists from different places and interests in all different issues.

The ultimate purpose of the conference will be the inauguration of a new American politics through the creation of a unified vision of a progressive nation and the kind of work and organizing it will take to get there.

Let me know soon if you're interested - it's going to be great!
Zoe

Friday, December 10, 2004
Delta Line, Chi Upsilon Sigma

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The Campus Alliance de La Raza Would Like To Congratulate Melissa Quinones and DiEna Davis For Joining The Xquisite Xi Chapter Of Chi Upsilon Sigma At The University of Delaware! It's Great To See Latinas Makin Moves -- We, The CALR, Will Always Be Here For You Two And We Look Forward To Your Contributions To The Latino Community. Congratulations On Your Accomplishments !!

The fall of 2004 would reaffirm the fact that Chi Upsilon Sigma is back at the University of Delaware with the onset of the Delta Line, "Bona fide Conviction." The emergence of Melissa B. Quinones and DiEna M. Davis conveys devotion and aspiration. With the re-establishment of the Xquisite Xi Chapter in 2004, our Sisters of the Gamma and Delta lines are defining the future of the chapter as they are committed to building upon the ideals of the past. -- Chi Upsilon Sigma

Chi Upsilon Sigma, Xi Chapter Homepage

Thursday, December 9, 2004
Executive Vice President Appointed To The Diversity Programming Committee for 2005

Guillermo Febres, the Executive Vice President of the Campus Alliance de La Raza, was appointed to the 2005 Diversity Programing Committee at the University of Delaware. Guillermo will join other leaders of minority organizations in an attempt to promote diversity and cultural awareness on campus. The importance of this initiative has been elevated in the midst of the recent hate crimes that have occurred on campus, and we, the CALR, are proud to have Guillermo representing our organization and the Latino community with respect to this honorable endeavor.

Thursday, December 9, 2004
DUSC Announces Formation Of Student Government Senate

The Delaware Undergraduate Student Congress (DUSC) announced the formation of a Student Body Senate, a legislative student government entity of which every Registered Student Organization (RSOs) will have 1) the opportunity to have fair representation and 2) the ability to present legislation that will have lasting impacts throughout the entire campus. Each RSO will be encouraged to send a Delegation to the weekly Senate meetings; however, the terms of the new entity recommend that the President and/or Executive Vice President of RSOs be the first Senators in the new legislative body. The Campus Alliance de La Raza has announced that it will send its President, Executive Vice President, and its traditional Delegate to the weekly meetings, representing the interests of the Latino and African American communities. After legitimacy has been established with respect to the new entity, the CALR Board will withdraw, confiding in its Constitutionally Recognized Senator, Noelle Tucker, to handle all of its Affairs, including voting, proposing, and supporting legislation, so long as that her actions are not inconsistent with the goals of the Campus Alliance de La Raza. Congratulations Senator. We trust that you will highlight and address the myriad of issues facing minorities here at the University of Delaware, and we're proud to have you representing our organization!

Wednesday, December 8, 2004
NBC Makes Unprecedented Downward Correction in Latino Support for Bush

Bush Didn't Get As Much As The Latino Vote As Initially Estimated

WASHINGTON, Dec. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- In a stunning admission, an elections manager for NBC News said national news organizations overestimated President George W. Bush's support among Latino voters, downwardly revising its estimated support for President Bush to 40 percent from 44 percent among Hispanics, and increasing challenger John Kerry's support among Hispanics to 58 percent from 53 percent. The revision doubles Kerry's margin of victory among Hispanic voters from 9 to 18 percent. Ana Maria Arumi, the NBC elections manager also revised NBC's estimate for Hispanic support for Bush in Texas, revising a reported 18-point lead for Bush to a 2-point win for Kerry among Hispanics, a remarkable 20-point turnaround from figures reported on election night.

Full Story: http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/041203/nyf044_1.html

Tuesday, December 7, 2004
Study Examines How Latinos View Themselves Racially
Report finds notable differences by income, politics and even regions of the country

WASHINGTON - Latinos who view themselves as white are more likely to be better educated, earn more, register to vote and vote Republican, according to a national study released today on how Latinos identify racially.

The study by the Pew Hispanic Center also found some notable regional differences, not yet fully understood. For example, in California, only 42 percent of U.S.-born Mexican-Americans identified themselves as white, compared with 63 percent of their ethnic counterparts in Texas.

The analysis of census data and surveys is perhaps the most detailed yet in a relatively new field of research on how Latinos adapt to the rigid racial categories they encounter in the United States. It is the first to probe the differences between Latinos who consider themselves white and those who say they are of another race.

Full Story: http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/printstory.mpl/nation/2933619

Friday, December 3, 2004
Affirmative Action Article Already Making Waves-

(U-WIRE) STANFORD, Calif. -- Even before its official publication in the Stanford University Law Review later this month, a study criticizing affirmative action is creating a flurry of controversy.

In the article, UCLA law professor Richard H. Sander focuses specifically on African American law students, using statistical evidence to argue that racial preferences in admissions hurt these students more than they help them.

Sander asserts that affirmative action results in the admittance of black students to schools where they would normally not be accepted. According to Sanders, these students are sometimes unable to compete, lowering their chances of passing the bar and ultimately becoming lawyers ...

Full Story: http://www.hispaniconline.com/edu&/article.html?SMContentIndex=0&SMContentSet=0

Thursday, December 2, 2004
Black Colleges Find New Market In Appeal To Latino Students

HOUSTON -- More Latinos are attending black colleges than ever before -- changing the way student bodies look, expanding the dance music at parties, and, in some cases, helping to attract more Latino professors to the faculty ...

In October Texas Southern University held its annual Tiger Day, a public relations bonanza for the school to appeal to students at feeder high schools and local black high schools. School administrators give tours across the 150-acre campus, hand out literature, and encourage them to mingle with current students.

But last month the TSU held a second day, Dia del Tigre, during Hispanic Heritage Month, geared toward Latino students. More than 1,500 prospective Latino students showed up.

Students are beginning to take notice of the Latino influence on campus. Senior Richelle Jones, 21, is president of the university program council, the group that arranges buses to football games, Movie Night, Apollo Night, and other recreational activities. She said members in the relatively new Latino fraternity, Sigma Lambda Beta, are more visible, walking around campus in baseball caps and sweatshirts with their house's greek letters on them ...

Full Story : http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2004/11/26/black_colleges_find_new_market_in_appeal_to_latino_students/

Wednesday, December 1, 2004
INCIDENCE OF HIV/AIDS ON THE RISE IN THE LATINO COMMUNITY

NCLR calls on government and public health officials to study the disease's impact on Hispanics and to support the dissemination of appropriate prevention information

Washington, DC - On December 1, 2004 - World AIDS Day - the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Latino civil rights and advocacy organization, called for an intensified commitment by government, community-based health organizations, and the Hispanic community to HIV/AIDS prevention as new HIV/AIDS cases continue to increase in the Hispanic community, particularly among Latino youth. As with many other health issues affecting the Latino community, new increases in HIV infection rates and the disease's disproportionate impact when compared to non-Hispanic Whites, can be traced to a lack of culturally and linguistically appropriate HIV/AIDS prevention information, a high rate of uninsurance, and an overall lack of health-related resources.

"We will not win the battle against this debilitating disease unless we make it a community priority to educate our youth, their parents, and community leaders about the growing rates of HIV infection and methods of prevention," stated Janet Murguia, NCLR Executive Director and COO. "Denial of the problem will lead to further increases in the rates of HIV and AIDS among Latinos, and will result in an overwhelming health burden for a community already plagued by inadequate access to health care and health-related information."

A recent study released by UNAIDS and the World Health Organization reports that nearly one million Americans are currently living with HIV/AIDS. Although Hispanics make up only 14% of the population of the United States and Puerto Rico, they account for nearly 20% of reported AIDS cases - the second-highest rate among all racial and ethnic minorities. Recent statistics suggest that if ignored, rates of HIV and AIDS will continue to grow within the Latino community, especially among youth and women:

Despite an overall reduction of AIDS cases within the general population, new HIV infection rates among Hispanics increased more than 26% from 1999 to 2001.

Latinos (62%) are more likely to be initially tested for HIV later in the course of their illness when compared to both African Americans (57%) and non-Hispanic Whites (42%).

More than half of the new Latino cases of HIV infection in 2001 were among youth, accounting for 21.25% of all the cases for this age group (13 to 24).

Latinas now represent 20% of AIDS cases among U.S. women, making Latinas seven times more likely than non-Hispanic Whites to be living with AIDS.

HIV/AIDS is the fourth-leading killer of Hispanics between the ages of 24 and 44.

While current numbers already point to an alarming health problem, available statistics do not include data for new HIV infections from many U.S. states with large Latino populations. These include Texas and California, in which approximately 50% of the U.S. Latino population resides.

"Through NCLR-based research and prevention efforts in collaboration with several of our affiliates we are beginning to understand the many ways in which HIV/AIDS is affecting the Latino community," continued Murguia. "However, we need real investment by government, hospitals and clinics, public health organizations, and community-based organizations both to get both a clearer picture of the rates of infection within our community and to support community-led prevention campaigns."

Prevention messages are of particular importance to the community since high rates of uninsurance and uneven access to the public health care system contribute to a higher than average death rate from the disease. HIV-infected Latinos are twice as likely to have never received anti-retroviral therapy, and are twice as likely to die from the disease when compared to non-Hispanic Whites.

Murguia continued, "Focus groups of at-risk Latino populations and interviews with HIV-positive Latinos, which NCLR has conducted in collaboration with our community-based affiliates around the country, suggest that there is a grave lack of culturally and linguistically appropriate prevention information for Latino youth and their parents. This lack of information is often exacerbated by cultural norms that inhibit Latino families from conducting honest and candid dialogue about real life risks, and traditional HIV/AIDS prevention methods do not address the challenge of removing the stigma and fear of the disease within our community."

The good news about HIV/AIDS is that individual changes in behavior can drastically curb its spread and impact; the harder news to swallow is that with such individual power comes enormous responsibility for our community. The Latino population merits the chance to learn that HIV and AIDS are often manageable and preventable with access to appropriate primary care and prevention education. We have both the power and the responsibility to decrease the impact of HIV/AIDS as we continue to develop peer-to-peer, community-led, and family support structures for our youth and emerging immigrant communities who are most at risk," concluded Murguia.

For more information about NCLR's HIV/AIDS programs, please visit http://www.nclr.org

Monday, November 29th, 2004
A Letter From Our President

Whats good ?!

Hope all is well. I know it’s crunch tyme, and things are starting to get crazy, but I just wanted to show some love, wish some luck, and tell you to stay strong these next few weeks! Society expects us to perform sub-par academically, so don’t live up to its expectations! Do well on your exams, rise above the typical UD Student, and join me and others under the banner of Perseverance! The library commons is open 24/7 … lounges in residence halls are usually quiet -- just do whatever you gotta do to get to the top. Put your social life on hold for a bit – I know it’s painful – I turn 21 today, but I wont see the inside of a club or bar til damn near Christmas. Again – we gotta do what we gotta do, and it definitely pays off in the end.

On another note – our last meeting is on December 8th at approximately 6:30 in Trabant room 206. We will have a short presentation by Jissell Martinez regarding the Hernandez Conference in Houston and possibly another presentation regarding the Minority Health Disparity Conference -- then we’ll quickly close out the semester. Afterwards, at approximately 7:00pm, Guillermo and I are going to help you draft your resume or CV (curriculum vita).

We all need to a strong foundation of which to build upon. Who we are and the contributions that we make to the community should be reflected in a professional format. If you have your Resume or CV drafted – great -- bring it, if not – that’s cool too … that’s why we are here. We will provide you with templates of both documents – we will critique you and push you – and more importantly we will stay as long as you need us to. We have to pull each other up – we have to have each other’s backs – because no one else will. Together We Will Persevere, En La Union Esta La Fuerza – The Campus Alliance de La Raza.

The 8th is the last day of classes, and we all have finals. Use a cost-benefit analysis to determine whether you will come to this meeting. Your resume and CV are important, but not at the expense of your GPA.

We have all the material that is offered at Career Services, but after you finish your Resume/CV, I encourage you to have them and several others look at it and critique it. The more you are pushed and challenged, the more you grow.

If any of you ever need anything – anything at all – whether it be someone to talk to now, or legal advise in 10 years, know that you have a brother in Craig de Mariana Aleman. Much love goes out to you all – I thank you for supporting me in the midst of my loss – hopefully one day, if and when you need a hand – you will remember me … for I am in debt to each and every one of you, and I will never forget the love, respect, and friendship that each of you have given me.

Again – good luck holding it down and take care …
CMA

Monday, November 29, 2004
NCLR APPLAUDS NOMINATION OF GUTIERREZ TO SERVE AS NEW SECRETARY OF COMMERCE

Washington, DC - The National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the U.S., today applauded President Bush's selection of Carlos Gutierrez, Chairman and CEO of Kellogg Company, as the new Secretary of Commerce. If confirmed, the Cuban American business leader will succeed Don Evans and become the first Hispanic ever to serve as Commerce Secretary.

"NCLR has known and worked with Mr. Gutierrez for many years, and we join with many in the Latino community and within the business community in saluting his nomination. A young boy who fled Cuba with his family in 1960, he became the CEO of one of the largest and most well-known companies in the world. He is widely credited with Kellogg's turnaround from a troubled company to a very healthy, dynamic firm, and he is one of only a handful of Hispanics to serve as CEO of a Fortune 500 corporation. His is a truly remarkable American story," stated Janet Murguia, NCLR Executive Director and COO.

"Along with the President's nomination of Alberto Gonzalez for Attorney General, the selection of Gutierrez illustrates a commitment to include Latinos in high-level cabinet positions, and we are optimistic that this will lead to a greater focus on some of the issues most pressing to the Latino community," concluded Murguia.

Lunes, El 29 de Noviembre, 2004
NCLR CELEBRA NOMINACION DE GUTIERREZ PARA SERVIR COMO NUEVO SECRETARIO DE COMERCIO

Washington, DC - El Consejo Nacional de La Raza (NCLR, por sus siglas en inglés), la organización latina de derechos civiles más importante de la nación, aplaudió hoy la selección por el presidente Bush de Carlos Gutierrez, el presidente de la junta directiva y gerente general de Kellogg Company, como el nuevo secretario de Comercio. Si es confirmado, el líder empresarial cubanoamericano reemplazará a Don Evans y se convertirá en el primer hispano en servir como secretario de Comercio.

"NCLR ha conocido y trabajado con el Sr. Gutierrez por muchos años y nos unimos a muchos en la comunidad latina y dentro de la comunidad empresarial para celebrar su nombramiento. El joven que huyó de Cuba con su familia en 1960, se convirtió en gerente general de una de las compañías más grandes y mejor conocidas del mundo. Se le acredita con convertir a Kellogg de una compañía en problemas en una firma sana, dinámica y él es uno de solamente un puñado de hispanos en servir como gerentes generales de una corporación de la Fortune 500. La suya es una historia americana verdaderamente notable, "indicó Janet Murguia, directora ejecutiva y gerente de operaciones de NCLR.

"Junto con el nombramiento por el presidente de Alberto Gonzalez como secretario de Justicia, la selección de Gutierrez ilustra un compromiso para incluir a latinos en posiciones de alto nivel en el gabinete y estamos optimistas de que esto conducirá a un mayor enfoque en algunos de los temas más importantes para la comunidad latina," concluyó Murguia.

Sunday, November 28th, 2004
DelawareHispanic.com and the CALR

Our President, Craig de Mariana Aleman, has been hired as a Legislative Correspondent for Delaware Hispanic LLC. See below:

Craig, thanks for the quick reply. My team here at Delawarehispanic.com is very excited to have you on board.

You have free reign to send us information on legislation that pertains to all and to Latinos alike.

Your work will be reviewed before it is published, but we want you to feel comfortable in "being yourself" with respect to information, research, opinions, columns regarding political matters, and legislation, in an effort to get more of our viewers politically involved. It is only when well informed people are able to express their political views and insight, that we can all agree to disagree.

Your people at UofD are invited to assist when you see fit.

I was so impressed with your legislative research skills that I want to snatch you up before you get expensive ... You are that good.

Let me know what you think and I hope you understand how much yardage "Your Page" has and please consider delawarehispanic.com your home where you can express your opinions, educate others and grow.

Talk soon,

Nancy Bastidas
CEO, Delaware Hispanic LLC

Tuesday, November 23, 2004
The NAACP and the CALR

The CALR has extended its friendship and its formal support to Ashley Smalls, the President of the University of Delaware's Chapter of the NAACP. We welcome the organization and look forward to developing strong relationships with its members. Together, side by side, we shall advance the Latino and African American Agendas. En La Union Esta La Fuerza, The Campus Alliance de La Raza!

Monday, November 22, 2004
CALR Thanks HOLA

Last week, Members of HOLA donated almost $200.00 to the Cubanito Scholarship Fund. The CALR extends its warmest gratitude and appreciation to HOLA and its members. Such generosity and compassion further illustrates how United the Latino Community is here at the University of Delaware.

Thursday, November 18, 2004
HAVEN and the CALR

The CALR extended its hand and formal support to HAVEN, an influential organization on campus. The CALR and HAVEN look forward to working together in the future to advance positive social change on our campus and in the community.

Craig,

I think what you are doing is an awesome thing and I support you fully in
your endeavor. I hope that together we can build a coalition with other
groups to advance an agenda of social justice that is sensitive to all
people. I am copying this message to Stacey Wishowsky who is Haven's
political chair and she is directly responsible for political activism and
raising awareness within the group and in the university community at large
about issues of glbt rights. I will be handling much of the "go between"
work for Haven as it relates to our relationship with other organizations so
I'll be working closely with you but it is important to know Stacey since
when it comes to taking action she has the lead role on our side.

Thanks for the invitation; I hope we can do great work together!

Alfred Lance Jr.
President: HAVEN

Tuesday, November 16th, 2004
VOTER INFORMATION HOTLINE KEY TO PARTICIPATION AMONG LATINO VOTERS

Ve Y Vota hotline assisted over 13,000 callers requesting election assistance

Los Angeles, California – With phones ringing off the hook, the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund’s national voter information hotline, 1-888-VE-Y-VOTA (839-8682), in collaboration with MALDEF (the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund) and NCLR (National Council of La Raza) answered and serviced nearly 3,000 calls from voters on Election Day. Since September 21, 2004 live operators have been providing vital information to voters giving them the tools to effectively participate in the electoral process. Over 13,000 voters have been assisted with everything from information on how to register, locating polling places, to documenting reports of serious violations of election laws.

Voters were able to receive assistance from a live person with locating their polling place and reporting on problems that staff was able to resolve in a timely manner, critical to voters casting their ballots. The volume and nature of calls received through the hotline demonstrate that much work remains to be done in getting critical information into the hands of voters. A large number of callers had not received information such as their sample ballots, polling location, or confirmation of their voter registration. At the polls, callers reported concern with their names not appearing on voter rolls and subsequent difficulties in obtaining provisional ballots.

The three most prominent national Latino organizations joined forces on this effort. With the collaboration of MALDEF attorneys who were on site immediately responding to reports and NCLR’s national network of community-based organizations across the country, we were able to address most complaints on the same day. Some of the more serious reports included lack of Spanish-language voting materials on state propositions in Pima County, Arizona, a violation of Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act; in Fresno, California a voter’s citizenship status was arbitrarily questioned by a poll worker; in New Jersey voters were denied provisional ballots; in Arkansas newly-registered voters did not appear on voter rolls; and in Los Angeles County, lack of adequate poll worker training led to confusion on provisional ballots.

We have learned that election officials must do a better job of getting timely information into the hands of voters. We will be analyzing the nature of calls serviced through the hotline and the impact of challenges voters experienced on overall Latino electoral participation.

In this election, Latino voters went out of their way to obtain information in order to participate in the election, demonstrating their commitment to strengthening our nation’s democracy through increased electoral participation.

For more information, log on to www.maldef.org , www.naleo.org, or www.nclr.org.

http://www.nclr.org/content/news/detail/28062/

Sunday November 14, 2004
The CALR Call To Action !!

The Campus Alliance de La Raza's Call For Action: The "Diversity Housing Plan" Initiative
HOLA is addressing this concern by hosting an open forum, this Wednesday, November 17, 2004, at 5:00 in 209/211 Trabant

Friday November 12, 2004
Creation of The CALR Scholarship For Minority Students

A Scholarship will be set up in Honor of Brad "Cubanito" Wright, a 16 year old boy who passed November 12, 2004. Our little Cuban managed to avoid drugs, gangs, and problems with the law, instead focusing his time on school, the PSAT, his family, and his new job at a Pizzeria. You will always be in our hearts little man. Te Quiero Para Siempre Mejo.

The CALR Scholarship will award ~500 dollars to a student who clearly embraces the concepts of La Raza: Academic Excellence, Community Service, Leadership, and the willingness to help others. Applications are due the first week of April of each year, and the winner(s) will be announced in early May.

* En La Union Esta La Fuerza * The Campus Alliance de La Raza

Wednesday, November 10, 2004
CALR Pledges Its Support To The Caribbean Student Alliance

The Campus Alliance de La Raza has pledged its support to the Caribbean Student Alliance in its initiative to secure funds and donations (toiletries, clothes, canned goods, etc.) for the Caribbean victims of this Hurricane season. Donations will be accepted by Samuel Rivera and Craig de Mariana Aleman. To make your donations please contact the CALR directly to arrange a pickup. The Campus Alliance de La Raza and the Caribbean Student Alliance thank you for your support!

Update: HOLA may also join this effort. With the approval of the organization's board, donations will be collected weekly at HOLA meetings, which are held Wednesdays from 5:00-6:30pm in Trabant 209/211. More info coming soon --

Tuesday, November 9, 2004
The Paul R. Jones Art Collection Reception

The CALR will meet at the second floor of Trabant, Thursday, November 11, 2004 at 4:45pm (in front of the HOLA office) and then tour the Mechanical Hall Art Gallery, featuring Paul R. Jones' Collection of A Century Of African American Art. Paul R. Jones is an Honorary McNair Scholar and a huge supporter of the African American and Latino communities here at the University of Delaware. Dress to impress -- business casual -- we leave at 4:45 sharp! See you there!

Friday, November 5, 2004
UNPRECEDENTED ELECTION FOR LATINO COMMUNITY

Washington, DC – Today the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the largest national Hispanic civil rights organization in the U.S., hailed two historic milestones for the Latino community coming out of the 2004 election. First, an unprecedented number of Latinos went to the voting booth on Tuesday. At least seven million Latinos and perhaps as many as 9.6 million turned out to vote, representing a dramatic increase from the 2000 presidential election. Second, for the first time ever, there will be two Latinos in the United States Senate, ending a nearly 30-year-old drought for Hispanic representation in that body.

“The extraordinary turnout of Latino voters, together with historic representation in the Senate, establishes the Latino community as an electorate to be reckoned with,” stated Janet Murguia, NCLR Executive Director and COO. “The Latino community has demonstrated the influential role it is playing, and will continue to play, in American politics. We are inspired by the strong motivation of Hispanic voters, particularly first-time voters – overcoming information and language barriers – to make sure that their voices were heard in this election. The increased Hispanic voter turnout proves the success of our voter engagement programs and assistance hotlines, and we will continue our efforts to increase Latino participation in the political process.”

“Moreover, NCLR is greatly encouraged by the election of Ken Salazar, Mel Martinez, and also Barack Obama who, through their victories, are sending a clear message that minorities have broad candidate appeal, and that the Senate, the ‘world’s most deliberative body,’ should not be devoid of representation from the country’s two largest ethnic minorities,” added Murguia.

In addition to the growth in participation, Latino turnout in this election also illustrated the complex nature of this electorate. The National Electoral Pool (NEP) exit poll numbers, for example, show that among Latinos as many as 44% supported President Bush and 53% Senator Kerry. This is clear confirmation of what reports by NCLR and other organizations have stated – that Hispanics cannot be simplistically or accurately characterized as a core constituency for either party.

“I look forward to working with President Bush as he begins his second term, encouraging him to build on his successful campaign by ensuring that Latinos are fully represented in his administration; by developing education, health, economic, and immigration reform policies that work for Hispanics; and by building meaningful avenues for collaboration with Latino organizations and leaders,” concluded Murguia.

http://www.nclr.org/content/news/detail/27998/

Wedsnesday, November 3, 2004
Election Day Coalition

Yesterday, November 2, 2004, eleven members of the Campus Alliance de La Raza hit the streets of inner-city Wilmington to encourage the residents of the area to enjoy their civil responsibility of voting. The CALR partnered with Voces Sin Fronteras, The Latin American Community Center, and The Metropolitan Wilmington Urban League in a united nonpartisan effort to “Get Out The Vote”. Transportation to and from the polls was provided, and our effort employed attorneys who offered legal protection to individuals while they exercised their constitutional right to vote.

Drugs and violence plague the inner city of Wilmington, and the residents cry out for change. Billions of American tax dollars are appropriated for foreign aid and for a controversial war in Iraq – but our own citizens are faced with terror each day in our neighborhoods. Drugs, gangs, violence, and absence of opportunity perpetuate vicious cycles of powerlessness and poverty.

The Campus Alliance de La Raza calls on Mayor Baker and Governor Minner to take significant steps towards the revitalization of the Wilmington inner city. We praise the Latin American Community Center, Voices Without Borders, and the Metropolitan Urban League for their immeasurable contributions to the Wilmington inner-city community, and we look forward to a bright future of cooperation with the entities and service to our great communities.

Saturday, October 24th, 2004
HOLA Alumni Shows Some Love

Hi Craig,
My name is Jonathan Figueroa. I was an eboard member for HOLA the past 2 years, and I just wanted to say that you have done an incredible job in organizing everything that has come to pass at the university. The Latino community is more vibrant and alive than ever, and that goes to your credit! I'm studying in Granada for my last semester at the university, but please feel free to use me at your disposal. I have told Noelia that I will be back to help her with anything she needs with HOLA. I´d like to offer the same to you and your organization. Once again, I tip my hat to a motivated Latino making moves!

Jonathan

Friday, October 23, 2004
Wilmington Coalition To Get Out The Vote

The Campus Alliance de La Raza will send volunteers, Tuesday November 2, to work with Voices Without Borders, The Metropolitan Urban League, and The Latin American Community Center in their efforts to maximize voter turnout in the City of Wilmington on election day. The organizations will have approximately 8 vans patrolling the city, giving voters rides to the polls. If you are interested in volunteering, contact Justin Melis, our Officer of Academic and Public Affairs.

Sunday, October 17th, 2004
Wealth Gaps Widens For Blacks and Latinos
(The Associated Press) http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6268929/

WASHINGTON - The enormous wealth gap between white families and blacks and Hispanics grew larger after the most recent recession, a private analysis of government data finds. White households had a median net worth of greater than $88,000 in 2002, 11 times more than Hispanics and more than 14 times that of blacks, the Pew Hispanic Center said in a study being released Monday. Blacks were slowest to emerge from the economic downturn that started in 2000 and ended early in 2001, the report found. Net worth accounts for the values of items such as a home and car, checking and savings accounts, and stocks, minus debts such as mortgage, car loans and credit card bills. Greater wealth means a greater ability to weather a job loss, emergency home repairs, illness and other unexpected costs, as well as being able to save for retirement or a child’s college tuition. According to the group’s analysis of Census Bureau data, nearly one-third of black families and 26 percent of Hispanic families were in debt or had no net assets, compared with 11 percent of white families. “Wealth is a measure of cumulative advantage or disadvantage,” said Roderick Harrison, a researcher at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, a Washington think tank that focuses on black issues. “The fact that black and Hispanic wealth is a fraction of white wealth also reflects a history of discrimination.”
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White households had a median net worth of greater than $88,000 in 2002, 11 times more than Hispanics and more than 14 times that of blacks

.
Black net worth declines
After accounting for inflation, net worth for white households increased 17 percent between 1996 and 2002 and rose for Hispanic homes by 14 percent to about $7,900. It decreased for blacks by 16 percent, to roughly $6,000. Regardless of race and ethnicity, the median net worth for all U.S. households was $59,700 in 2002, a 12 percent gain from 1996. Only white homes recouped all their losses between 2001 and 2002. Both Hispanics and blacks lost nearly 27 percent of net worth between 1999 and 2001; the next year Latinos had gained almost all back (26 percent) though blacks were up only about 5 percent. Roberto Suro, director of the Pew Hispanic Center, said the accumulation of wealth allows low-income families to rise into the middle class and “have some kind of assets beyond next week’s paychecks.” “Having more assets enabled whites to ride out the jobless recovery better,” he said. Harrison says Hispanics were more insulated from the downturn than blacks, so they took less of a hit. For example, Hispanics made employment gains in lower-paid, lower-skilled areas such as the service and construction sectors.

Blacks still subject to ‘last hired, first fired’
Blacks were hit hard by job losses in the manufacturing industry and in professional fields, where they were victims of “last hired, first fired” policies, he said. Only relatively recently were large numbers of blacks and Hispanics able to make investments and accumulate wealth. They were slower to enter the stock market during the 1990s rush and then had less of a cushion when the market began its decline in 2000. Another factor affecting disparities is that whites are far more likely to own their homes; homeownership is among the most common ways to build wealth. Census figures released in August showed the national median household income remained basically flat between 2002 and 2003 at $43,318. Median incomes for whites ($47,800) and blacks ($29,600) also were stagnant, while the median income for Hispanics fell about 2 percent to $33,000.

Friday, October 15, 2004
University Speaker: Race and Racial Healing

Eva,

Hello. My name is Craig de Mariana Aleman, and I am the President of the new political advocacy organization on campus, The Campus Alliance de La Raza. I caught wind of your plans to bring in a speaker on Race and Racial Healing, and I was wondering if you would be interested in allowing us to co-sponsor the event. Unfortunately, we are at the stage of our infancy, so we will be unable to offer any funding to this project; however, we will assist you in spreading the word (as soon as you nail down the date) and will contribute in any other way that we can.

If you'd like more information regarding our organization, please feel free to visit our temporary website:

https://udel.edu/~cfitzger/CALR.html

Finally, have you consulted Noelia Olivera, the President of HOLA, about this initiative, and if not, would you like to me assist you in bringing in HOLA as an additional Co-Sponsor? Events such as this are important, especially on campuses such as the University of Delaware. Did you plan on having the event early during the day on Saturday?

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Craig

Thursday, October 13, 2004
GACHA and Aspira

The Campus Alliance de La Raza has pledged it support to Wanda Lopez, the Executive Director of The Governor's Advisory Council on Hispanic Affairs, and her initiative to bring chapters of Aspira to Delaware High Schools.

What Is Aspira?
The ASPIRA Association, Inc. is the only national nonprofit organization devoted solely to the education and leadership development of Puerto Rican and other Latino youth. ASPIRA takes its name from the Spanish verb aspirar, "aspire."

Since 1961 ASPIRA has pursued its mission of empowering the Latino community through the development of its youth. All of ASPIRA's goals and activities spring from one basic belief: Puerto Ricans and Latinos have the collective potential to move their community forward.

ASPIRA looks at Latino youth and sees this potential; leaders waiting to emerge. With community-based offices in large cities of six states and Puerto Rico, ASPIRA's 1,100 staff members work with over 50,000 youth and their families each year to develop that potential. These are our Aspirantes---those youth who will become educated, committed leaders for the community's future benefit.

Since its founding, ASPIRA has provided a quarter of a million youth with the personal resources they need to remain in school and contribute to their community. Most mainland Puerto Rican leaders today were encouraged by ASPIRA during their adolescence.

For More Info: Please Visit http://www.aspira.org/

Tuesday, October 12, 2004
The Philadelphia Congreso Extends Its Friendship

Craig,
You hold our future in your hands. What you are doing is so great. We should get together sometime to discuss how our organizations can assist and learn from one another. Let's stay in touch.

Varsovia Fernandez
Director of Communication and Development
Philadelphia Congreso
http://www.congreso.net

Friday October 8th, 7:00pm - 1:00am
The Latin American Community Center Ball

Members of the Campus Alliance de La Raza were invited to dine with Senators, Representatives, the Lieutenant Governor, CEOs, Executives, Community Leaders, Educators, and other prominent Latino figures, celebrating the 35th Anniversary of the Latin American Community Center in Wilmington!

Friday and Saturday, October 8th and 9th, 2004
The 2nd Annual Ronald E. McNair Scholars Research Conference and Graduate School Fair

Our President and Vice President of Delegation and Latino Affairs presented research at the conference, touching on important issues such as:

The Earned Income Tax Credit:
Latino Participation and Outreach Cost-Benefit Analysis
Melody Casagrande
Mentor: Dr. Laurence Seidman

Brown, Mendez, and Equity Today
An Analysis of the Latino and African American Desegregation Movements and the Challenges Associated With The Pursuit Of Equity Today
Craig de Mariana Aleman
Mentor: Professor Leland Ware

The Scholars held it down and represented the Campus Alliance de La Raza and the University of Delaware extremely well !
Congrats on your accomplishments !

Friday, October 6th, 2004
Delmarva Rural Ministries Considers Appointing CALR Member To Its Board Of Directors

Our President, Craig de Mariana Aleman, is being considered for a position on the Board of Directors of Delmarva Rural Ministries (DRM), a prominent community based organization in the state of Delaware. Delmarva Rural Ministries, Inc. is a private non-profit organization serving farm workers and other underserved populations on the Delmarva Peninsula. DRM carries out this mission by providing health care, housing, and comprehensive social services, and has been serving the community for over 30 years. Confirmation To The Board Would Be A Great Honor For Mr. Aleman, As Well As For The Campus Alliance de La Raza. Additional updates will follow. For more info regarding Delmarva Rural Ministries, please visit their website: http://www.drminc.org/

Tuesday October 5th, 5:00pm - 6:00pm
First Executive Board Meeting

The Exec Board met to discuss recognition, the budget, webspace, structure of our bi-weekly meetings, and the upcoming Hernandez Conference in Houston, Texas.

Sunday, September 26th 7:00pm til 11:30pm
Open Mic Nite, GH Rocks The Vote !

Open Mic Nite at the Gilbert D/E Lounge. The Campus Alliance was at the event, providing registration materials, stamps, and envelopes to University students who needed to register to vote. The Event was a huge success! Thanx for all the support !!

Saturday, September 24, 2004
The GEAR-Up Symposium

The CALR was invited to co-host an inspirational workshop for African American and Latino males entering New Castle County high schools. The workshop focused on the challenges associated with high school and the importance of matriculating into college. Mentoring is and always will be a significant pillar of La Raza, and we applaud the GEAR-UP family, especially Dr. Melva Ware, for their continuous efforts to reach out to such an important, but often forgotten, segment of our population.

Thursday September 23, 2004
Delmarva Rural Ministries

We have been extended an invitation to visit Delmarva Rural Ministries Inc, another Affiliate of the National Council de La Raza. The event is tentatively scheduled for Friday morning, October 15th or October 22nd, 2004. We will meet around 10am and will return to campus by 1:00pm. This is an important networking event. Jose Quiñones, our contact in Dover who extended the invitation, is influential in the State and is eager to assist us in our infancy.

Wanna know more about DRM? Feel free to visit www.drminc.org

If you would like to attend the event, contact Craig de Mariana Aleman as soon as possible.

Wednesday, September 22, 2004
El Sol Interview

The interview with Señor Gabriel Pilonieta-Blanco went extremely well. He has voiced his support for us and has pledged to assist us in our endeavors. Our positive messages, those of today and tomorrow, will be echoed throughout the state via El Sol. Thank you for your support Señor Pilonieta-Blanco! The Campus Alliance de La Raza looks forward to working with you in the near future!    - Craig de Mariana Aleman

Tuesday September 21, 2004
A New Draft?

Senate Bill 89 and House Bill 163

Legislation To Bring About A New Draft!? Women and College Students Will Not Be Protected! Look Into It ... Visit The Senate or The House of Representatives. The bills have little support in the House or Senate, but they are sobering reminders that our military is overextended. A new war could push the next President to reinstitute the draft. Educate Yourself And Stay Informed!

Sunday, September 19, 2004
DTCC Announces In-State Tuition Costs For Undocumented Students

The Campus Alliance de La Raza applauds Delaware Technical and Community College for announcing its initiative to provide undocumented immigrants with in-state tuition costs !! DTCC's new policy will illuminate the path to higher education for countless individuals in the Latino Community!

Sunday, September 19, 2004
Positive Promotions Television Studio

The Public Relations Officer of Positive Promotions, a Comcast Cable TV station, has voiced her support for the Campus Alliance. Journalism majors, or those interested in working at television studios, within the CALR are encouraged to contact her. For more info about a possible internship or even a volunteer experience, contact Craig de Mariana Aleman.

Saturday, September 18, 2004
Voter Registration Initiative

The Gilbert/ Harrington Complex is having an open Mic Nite on Sunday September 26, 2004. The event is free for the public, and food and entertainment will be provided from 7:00pm until late night. The Campus Alliance de La Raza will be on hand to register voters at the event. It should be a good time.

Friday, September 17, 2004
El Sol, September GACHA Meeting, Recognition Update

The Spanish newspaper, El Sol wants to do a piece on us. It heard about our organization and wants to spread the word throughout the entire state. That's great news !

On another note, the September meeting of the Governor's Advisory Council on Hispanic Affairs went well. The Council issued Jissell and I a report, which I am expected to edit and enhance, that will be published and distributed throughout the Latino community. If you would like to contribute, contact me for more info.

Also, I suggest that we incorporate a Vice President of Public Relations into our United Advisory Board. This individual will be responsible for getting our name out there, developing relationships with key figures throughout the state, AND maintaining a book with Profiles of people and organizations that want to support us, and how exactly they can. He/She will need to be charismatic, preferably bi-lingual, and above all else, organized! What do you all think? Do you have anyone in mind?

Finally, our paperwork (and recognition) is in as of Monday. We will have an important meeting with L. Luna probably sometime next week. More info to follow:

Our first official meeting will be sometime within the next two weeks, three at the latest. We will dedicate the first half of the meeting to a CALR introduction. We’ll cover who we are, what we are about, and what we are going to be focusing on the next few months. The second half will be an ice-breaker coupled with a question and answer period – we’ll introduce ourselves, our positions, and we’ll offer up any questions or comments that we have. Again, more info to follow …

Any immediate questions? Feel free to email or call me 302-393-3463.

Craig

Friday, September 17, 2004
El Email de El Periodico, El Sol

Buenos dias,
Mi nombre es Gabriel Pilonieta y soy el periodista del semanario El Sol de Delaware, recogi un papel en la universidad que dice:

Coming soon...
The Campus Alliance de la Raza
The University's Political Body Working to Advance the Latino Agenda.

Me gustaria tener mas informacion sobre este proyecto, para hacer un reportaje para el periodico.
Muchas gracias por la atencion que puedan prestar a esta carta.
Salud

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