La earta
n ews let t er
Special Summer Edition
S p o n so re d b y tq Cqsq Cullur ol
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iBienvenidosa la Universidadde lllinois!
August,2002
Volumel, lssueI
La Casa Cultural Latina
would like to welcome all incoming
first year and transfer students to the
University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign.
What is La Casa?, you may
ask...No,not just a house.
La Casa Cultural Latina is a
cultural resource center intended to
provide a supportive environment in
which Latina/o students can grow, develop and rurderstand their Latina/o
identities. La Casa createsa link and
partnership with academic and nonacademic organizations on and off
campus.
We invite you to read this
informative Latino newsletter about
upcoming events and programs on
campus. We also provide you with
contact information for organizations
that might interest you.
Basically, we want to help
you make a positive transition from
high school to college. We encourage
your involvement in the community
and the U of I campus; so here are
some wavs vou can do so.
Upcoming Events
Aug.27'nIce CreamSocialat La Casa5pm
House Party at 7pm. FREE!!
Aug 29th Latina Dinner/ Latino Picnic
Sept.4th First Year StudentOrientation.
.Illini Union ABC rooms 7pm.
Sept. 6th United We Jam 7pm Parking Lot
E-12 (6th and Armory)
7'h Fall Picnic at Hessel Park.
Vans leaveLa Casa I lam. Free Food!!
pt. 12thDanceWorkshop at La Casa
7pm l.sqrn salsa w/ Ritmo y Sabor La-
16'o Grito de Dolores.Quad 12 noon.
Celebrationof Indeoendences.
23'o Grito De Lares.Quad 12 noon.
Taste of Puerto Rico atLaCasa
at7pm. Come enjoy somefreefood!
30th Reception.Comemeetwelcome
Peer Mentoring Network
The Compadre-Comadre Peer Mentoring signed an upper-class student. This stuNetwork is a program designed to get stu- dent will contact you either through
dents involved in campus life at the very start email or phone. Pleasereply. If you are
of their college career.Tkough the establish- not contacted by your mentor notify Vement of a network of first and upper-class ronica Kann at v-kann@uiuc.edu. The
students, people set out on a collaborative goal of the PMP is for students to help
journey, exploring ways to mutually support fellow Latina/o students fully adjust to
each other to obtain academic and personal the U of I, through various workshops.
success. Every incoming student will be as- For more info email lacasa@uiuc.edu.
lnside this issue:
Lo Coso Workshops
2
Lo CosoFdtbol 2
Poelry Sets
Acodemic Info
Community
Involvement
Student Orgonizof ions
More Lo Coso
Resources
La CasaWorkshops
La Casa Cultural Latina offers ongoing year long workshops for all interests: dance, guitar, Latin percussion,
and radio broadcastingworkshops.
Every Thursday and Sunday at.7 pm
at La Casa, Eliana Manero, teaches
different Latin dances:salsa,meringue
and bachata, among the most popular
ones. All classes are free and attendance is up to the participant. Latin
dances have become very popular in
the Champaign Urbana area. If you
would like to leam more about where
to practice your salsa dancing, contact
Ritmo y Sabor T.atino at lacasa@uiuc.
edu. Also. be on the look out for salsa
on Ice at the U of I Ice
Arena in the Spring Semester.
Every Friday at 4 pm
h, tu Casa Cultural Latina
l.ilj- also helps sponsor a two
'f hourradiosesmentof Latin
music workshops*; ta
l>
offered at La Casa Culhrral Latina. also free of\
charse. One week Latin
Percussionis taughtby
i
Ricardo Flores and the
foliowing week, Lino
Pardo, hosts Spanish
guitar lessons for all EveryFridoy MusicWorkstages of
learning.
shopsfrom 3-5 pm ot
Bring your own instruLo CosoCulturolLotinq
mentsif possible.
music every Saturday afternoon at 3 pm called: "La
Y oz Latina" . It broadcasted
on a community-basedradio
station WEFT. 90.1 FM.
Scholarships for airshifting
training (for FCC Class 3
license) are available. For
more information. contact
lacasa@uiuc.edu
La CasaFritbol
As the school year progresses the
amount of homework and school responsibilities intensifies, causing stress
to set in. La Casa Cultural Latina offers an entertaining stress reliever:
sports. Specifically, soccer, or as we
call it: futbol.
Every fali semester students participate in the Campus Rec soccer intramurals. It is an opportunity to have
some fun, get in shape,meet other students, and forget ones problems. All
players from any level are welcome.
La Casa sponsors three teams:
women's soccer, men's soccer and
coed team. Games take place during
weeknights, and occasionally there are
f'Ploying for [.o Cosc helps
weekend evening games.
A11 you need is your I-Card to play ,
and pay a minimal fee for an official
La Casa Fr.itbol T-shirt with the name
of your choice on the back. Please
contact La Casa for further information.
-e
me,of slreis:cqusedby t.ahodl.t.t,,, *Last year the women's team made it
all the way to the final.*
-S ondy de Leon
(Ployerin Lq Cqsowomen's leom)
Poetry Sets
la
Casa Programming
Student
Staff
organizes a biweekly poerry and hiphop
set calied the Blue Room.
The Blue
Room is an event where peopie can
express themselves freely through spoken word. "lt is a place to promote con
sciousness and to value each other's
cultural backgrounds", says Rafael Gar-
welcome, whether ones own, or from
ones favorite author.
Gabriel Cortez, a graduate srudent in
Educational Policy Srudies, attends this
event on a regular basis. "The Blue
Room is a space to communicate and
have a connection to home.
Latinos
cia, senior attending U of I.
have an oral tradition, this [Blue Room]
allows us to relate out stories to each
All poetry, spoken word or freesryle is
other,"
At ieast once a semester, La Casa's.poetry set meets with the African American poetry set in an event called: the
Blue Room meets the Peppas. It is an
opportunity
to share our culture with
each other in a supportive and entet
taining environment.
Blue Rooms are held every other Friday at 9 pm at La Casa and the Peppas
Set is held every Friday at 9 pm at the
African Arnerican Culrural Program.
Poge 2
Lo
C orto
Academic Info
It is important to remember that
above anything else, above race, ethnicity, age, parfying, one is a student
first, and academics should be ones
priority. However, this is easier said
than done. Hence, at La Casa we have
important and useful academic information for studentsof all majors.
Once a semesterwe have a workshop
entitled the 4l l on Gen Eds. Truth is,
we all have to take them, so we might
as weil take the more interesting ones
or take the classes with good professors.Be on the look out for this event.
Remember the following Dates->
September
Useful tips;
6-Deadline to add first half session
1) Get to know yourprofessor and
course
TA's, becausethey can seryeas
l3- Deadlineto add a semestercourse
future recommendationsor job op20- Deadline to drop first half session
portunities.
course
2) Know your add and drop datesand
how to withdraw from a class. It is
October
harder to raise a low GPA. than to
18- Deadline to drop a semestercourse
lower a high one.
18- Deadlineto elect credit/no credit 3) Get tutoring at OMSA early in the
option for semestercourse
semester,you can always drop it
l8-Deadline to withdraw from semeslater.
ter course without W grade.
4) Ask for help! We are all human.
25- Deadlineto add a secondhalfsession course.
EmergencyDean: 333-0050
(http://www.oar.uiuc.edu,/current/)
Counseling Center: 333-3704
Communiw Involvement
The Champaign-Urbana community
has many opportunities for srudents
wanting to get involved, The growing
Latino population off-campushas created a need for more bilineual rurors in
the school.
Also centers like the DouglassCenter,
El Centro por los Trabajadores,and la
Comunidad Unida are alwayslooking
for volunteers who wish to helo the
thesiecommunities. Students of all ages
Planned Parenthood and the Frances
need mentors and help with home- Nelson Health Centers are also looking
work. Contact La Casafor more info.
for bilingual speakersto help ffanslate
to patients and/or documents.
"With lhe US Lqlino pofrulofion
growing fosler lhqn lhere qre
resourcesfor growlh, ploces like
Chompoign-Urbonocre seorching
for woys lo occonrnodqtelhe needs
of Lolinos." -RqsheenqFounlqin
Other communiry involvement can
inctude attending Church with Spanish
Mass. Every Sunday at Capilla Santa
Maria, at 612 EastParkSneet in ChampaignSpanishMassis held.
Find out how you can get involved.
Student Organizations
There is something for everyone's interest,and ifthere isn't then you can
easily start your own student organization. All you needis a presidentand
treasurer.
There are many Latino and multicultural organizations,that range from
academic,pre-professional,social,cultural, and Greek. The following is a
list of some of them. For more info
contactlacasa@uiuc.edu.
Volume 1 , l s s u e I
Greek: Alpha Delta Rho Multicultural
Sorority, Alpha Psi Lambda Co-ed
Fraternity, Lambda Tau Omega Sorority Inc, Omega Delta Fraternity, Sigma
Lambda Beta Fraternity Inc., Sigma
LambdaGamma Sorority,Sigma Iota
Alpha Inc.
Preprofessional: Associationfor PreProfessionalEducators(APPLE),
Latino Association for BusinessStudents (LAB S), Minority Association
for Pre-Health Students(MAPS), Minority Association for Future Attorneys (MAFA), Society for Hispanic
Engineers (SHPE).
Social and Cultural: Central and
South American StudentAssociation
(CSASA), Mexican StudentAssociation (MSA), Orgullo de LatinoAmerica (OLA) Pueblo Unido, and the
Latino StudentCoalition [SC).
P oge 3
Sponsoredby La Casa
Cultural Latina
nf
1203 West Nevodo St.
Ur bono,lL.618 0 1
M C- ' , r 45
Phone:2l7-333-4950
F ox :217- 244- 4 5 1 3
Emoil:locoso@uiuc.edu
xSi se puede*
La Casa Cultural Latina is a unit of the Offrce of the Dean of Students and Student Affairs and is affiliated to the Office of Minority
StudentAffairs (OMSA).
La Casa Staff
Giraldo Rosales,Director
Veronica M. Kann, Assistant Director
JohannaAnd.a,Secretary
Produced by Bdrbara Paz Comejo
More La CasaResources
-El Boletin Informativo, is an email flyer with a calendar of all upcoming events,scholarshipsand career opportunities related to or of interest to the Latino community. If you are not on the Boletin list and would like
to get on the serverpleasecontact lacasa@uiuc.edu.
-La Casa Cultural Latina has a Career Comer in the upstairs level, with trained studentsready to help create,
improve and critique your resumeand help set you on a career orientatedpath.
-Every Wednesdayafternoon McKinley Health Center gives out condoms,pregnancy tests, cold paks, wound
paks, and other health related information to studentsatLa Casa.
-The Counseling Center also has a presenceat La Casa.It sponsorsmany support programs such as Giris Nite
Out, which takes place every other Monday at 6 pm. Also, Latino males have startedtheir own discussion
group called Sword Fights.
cfdeosfor progroms
or events?Comeondtolk to Lo CosoStudentStaff.
*Liketo hovesomething
of yourspublished?Conto
ct La Cartatheoff iciolLotino/ostudent
runpublicotion.*