October 2012 Volume VIII Issue 1

La Voz Latina
The University of Marylands Leading Source of Latino News
Latino Heritage Month articles inside | pg. 4

LGBT community
collaborates with Md.
dreamers
By Jessica Evans

Casa de Maryland joined forces
with Equality Maryland, a LGBT civil
rights advocacy group, to form the campaign Familia es Familia Maryland, or
Family is Family Maryland, in an effort
to educate the community about the Maryland Dream Act and same-sex marriage
rights before the presidential election on
Nov. 6.

We want to show the community
that we are together and that is why we
started Familia es Familia, said communication specialist at Casa De Maryland
Susana Flores.

The campaign is trying to educate
and bring awareness on these issues by going to Hispanic media outlets and having
people share their stories. We have videos
of different families showing their support, said Flores.
CASA, CONTINUES ON PAGE 2

courtesy of Jasmin Herrera

Karen Contreras and Jasmin Herrera, members of the LHM planning committee, pose at the LSU Welcome Back Barbeque.

Smithsonian Latino Center discusses LHM trajectory

By Alex McGuire

The Latino Heritage Month

lecture series stopped at Marie
Mount Hall on Sept. 25 to
discuss the current state of
Latinos in regard to culture,
history, politics and its terminology.

The lecture, which was
led by Director of the Smithsonian Latino Center Eduardo
Diaz and the University of
Marylands own Dr. Stella
Rouse, aimed to tackle the history of Latinos and Hispanics in this country
and how the context of the two demographic
terms has changed over the years.

Diaz discussed how the nationwide Hispanic Heritage Month evolved from a week into
an entire month, thanks to President Reagan,
who enacted a law in 1988 that expanded it into
a 30-day period. The commemorative period
lasts from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 because eight
Latin American countries celebrate indepen-

New pre-college program

established between U-Md.
and local high school
By Fidel Martinez

Courtesy of the MICA office

dence during that time frame. While Hispanic

Heritage Month is a time to shine, Diaz said,
the term Hispanic is a difficult and vague
term.

The term Hispanic references Spain
and its former colonies, which means that
colossal Brazil and the legacy of once mighty
Portugal are, oftentimes, excluded, said Diaz
in a prelude article from the Huffington Post.
It seems to me that an identity can continue to

A new pre-college track partnership was established between the University of Maryland and Northwestern High
School on Thursday Sept. 12 to help restructure the effectiveness of older college
programs embraced by the high school.
The local high school is located less
than a mile away from campus, and already carries over 20 University of Maryland based outreach programs that help
students articulate the potential needed in
order to strive for an academic future.

There is a long history of university programs being involved at NHS,
said Shane Bryan, the AmeriCorps VISTA
Community Partner Liaison. The inquiry
of new programs was becoming burdensome to the high school. There has been
little assessment of the impact these
programs are having on the overall NHS
community.

LHM, CONTINUES ON PAGE 4

noticias
High school seniors in
Prince Georges County
Public Schools can now
take SAT for free | Pg. 2

latinidad
Meet the newest Latina
sorority:

latino heritage month

1st independent Latina

sorority now at UMD | Pg. 3

Find out what this years

LHM theme means| Pg. 5

Students discuss their AfroLatino identity | Pg. 5

deportes
World Cup 2014:

Which Central American

teams will qualify? | Pg. 6

NHS, CONTINUES ON PAGE 3

entretenimiento
Salsa & Bachata:

Find out what happened

at the 3rd annual dance
competition.| Pg. 7

noticias

New Prince Georges County Public Schools initiative waives SAT fee

SAT School Day hopes to remove barriers to higher education

By Karen Mawdsley

For the first time, on Oct. 17, seniors
in Prince Georges County Public Schools
(PGCPS) will be able to take the SATthe
nations most widely used college admission
testfor free.

The goal of the county-funded initiative,
referred to as the SAT School Day, is to ensure
that every child has the opportunity to take the
test, according to Interim Superintendent of
Schools Dr. Alvin Crawley.

Leslie Sepuka of College Boards
Washington office reported that in the Prince
Georges County school district, 5,192 seniors
who graduated in 2012 took the SAT at some
point in their high school career.

But officials want to see that number
increase.

Providing the essential pre-college exam
to students not only free of charge, but also during a regular school day, in familiar surroundings and with familiar faces allows PGCPS
to remove any barriers that may deter student
participation, Crawley said.

Cost, according to Bowie High School
senior Awung Fontem, seems to deter some
students from taking the test.

According to College Board, there is a
direct correlation between family income and
SAT scoresthe higher the income, the higher
the score. Maryland students in households with
incomes greater than $200,000 score an average
of 156 points higher than those in households
with incomes less than $20,000.

But the SAT itself is not the only cost
involved in the pursuit of higher education. One
college application can come with up to a $90

fee attached. And these are moneSAT fee:

$50.00
tory expenses that occur even
before the expenses of underACT fee:
$50.50
graduate tuition, room and board,
which rose 42 percent at public
AP test fee (1): $89.00
institutions in the last decade.

But offering the SAT for
UMD app. fee: $65.00
free, while it may not drastically
change the percentage of students
who chose to pursue higher education upon graduating, is a step
in the right direction.

Cheryle Williams, a
College application fees alone can cost hundreds of dollars.
professional school counselor at
the countys Parkdale High School

thinks the free SAT opportunity will have a

Shabnam Ahmed, the PG County Board
positive impact, as does Eleanor Roosevelt
of Educations student member commented on
High School senior Ali Dar.
the uniqueness of the diversity in the county

He commented, I think because its
and stated, By offering a free SAT for seniors
free a lot of people are going to be taking it.
I believe our school system is encouraging stu
Having been in the position of these
dents of all backgrounds to get a jump start for
high school seniors merely two years ago, Uni- college. I think it is very generous of the county
versity of Maryland sophomore Dejen Mengis
to make this offer for the students.
reflects on his experience in PGCPSs Eleanor

PGPCS Senior Pubic Information OfRoosevelt High School.
ficer Brian Henderson said the SAT School Day

Our school really encouraged taking
would also be offered in the spring on Feb. 27.
the SAT multiple times. I actually took it twice

The SAT School Day is also available to
during high school. Theyre really good about
all public school students in Delaware, Idaho,
exposing us to that type of stuff, Mengis said.
and Maine, as well as students in certain school

In addition to the test itself, students
districts in Connecticut, Florida, Maryland,
will have access to College Board preparation
New York, Oregon, Texas and Washington,
resources including The Official SAT Online
Sepuka said.
Course, The Official SAT Question of the Day

Registration is open online through Oct.
and Skills Insight, as well as four free score
3 through the College Board website.
reports to send to colleges and scholarship services.

TOTAL: $254.40

CASA continued

The LGBT Equity Center on campus
has also taken strides to promote intersection of
both issues.

Were trying to make people understand that there is an intersection between the
two, they are LGBTs and also dreamers, said
Pamela Hernandez, the special projects office
assistant of the LGBT Equity Center. They
face an internal conflict.

The campaign comes at a critical time
Maryland voters will have the option to vote
for the Maryland Dream Act, Question 4, and
same-sex marriage, Question 6 on the presidential election ballot.

According to the Maryland State Board
of Elections website, the Maryland Dream Act
would grant undocumented immigrants who
attended a high school in Maryland in-state college tuition for any community college.

After students have completed two years
of community college, they can then attend one
of the states public universities.

In regards to Question 6, the Maryland
State Board of Elections website stated that

The whole reason for these

two issues to come about
was a base line human
rights issue.

Pamela Hernandez, special projects office

assistant of the LGBT Equity Center

gay and lesbian couples will be able to obtain a

marriage license.

The whole reason for these two issues
to come about was for a base line human rights
issue, said Hernandez. Even though its a
discussion about Maryland dreamers, its also
about justice.

The LGBT Equity Center at the University Of Maryland also joined forces with

Let your voz be heard!

the Maryland Dream Act advocates and LGBT

supporters to promote the cause.

The center hosted the Diversity on the
Ballot, a panel that discussed the intersection
of the two issues on Monday Oct. 1. Casa de
Maryland was one of the panels sponsors.

Panelist speakers included Councilmember Hans Riemer, Valeria Carranza, the Policy
Analyst for Montgomery County, Jonathan
J. Green, a lobbyist for the Dream Act, Jose
Granados, a sophomore involved with Casa de
Maryland and Terps for Marriage Equality, and
Sebastian Roa, the founder of the Justice for
Students in America (JSA) Movement.

Hernandez said that the speakers are
apart of either both or at least one of the issues that will appear on the election ballot this
November. Regardless of whether one, both,
or neither questions pass, the election will be
historic for taking steps towards equality.

This is about dignity and civil rights,
said Flores. We have to join in and support the
families.

La Voz welcomes anyone to contribute. You do not have to be Latino/a to join!

Please send submissions to lavozlatina.umd@gmail.com

latinidad

3
NWS continued
The Leadership Community Service Learning unit within Adele H. Stamp Student Union
hopes to decrease the high schools drop out
rates and increase college preparedness through
in-class and extended learning partnerships.
The LCSL will strengthen its programs
academic efficacy with outreach programs,
like Upward Bound and College and Career
Pathways. These non-profit organizations will
assist low-income, first generation students, and
provide high school students with academic
counseling.

Pre-college programs, like College and
Career Pathways, provides the school with the
resources that students need in order to choose

their ideal college, said Mike Adeshoga, a

senior member of the College and Career Pathways Program.
Northwestern High School has attempted,
with limited afterschool tutoring and AP courses, to shift the views of students that have yet to
see the importance of an education.

A majority of the population in Northwestern seem to walk through the halls with
academic negligence. Programs like these help
create awareness within the student body by
exposing them to numerous opportunities, said
Johanna Perdomo, Northwestern alumna and
representative of the Upward Bound program.
Less than 80 percent of Northwestern

ALPFA helps business students develop professionally

By Evelyn Avelar

students graduate, and attendance rates have

dropped two percent, according to the Prince
Georges County Board Of Education. However, Northwestern hopes to provide its students
with an influential assistance for educational
opportunities in order to improve the school
reputation with the new partnership.
Perdomo hopes that the new partnership
will assist the local youth and scholastically enrich minorities in order to shatters the schools
reputation. With various tutoring programs,
Upward Bound helped shape my college interest, said Perdomo. Without it, I would have
never thought about college in my junior year.

New Latina sorority

joins campus
CUS joins Latino Greek life at UMD
By Jessica Evans

The winning ALPFA team at a KPMG Case Sudy competition in Las Vegas.

Only two years old, the Association of
Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting (ALPFA) a national business professional
development organization, has helped students
become successful professionals in their career
fields, and last summer, the ALPFA-UMD team
placed second in a National KPMG Case Study
Competition.

Five members were selected from the
ALPFA-UMD chapter to go to Las Vegas and
compete in the National KPMG Case Study
Competition where over 28 different schools
across the U.S. and Puerto Rico competed and
presented on an accounting subject assigned to
them.

Participating in the KPMG Case Study
Competition was a great experience! said Gerson Elias, president of ALPFA-UMD. Thanks
to ALPFA, I was able to secure an internship
with KPMG this past summer and I just recently committed to a full time job with them right
after I graduate this fall, said Elias.

The ALPFA-UMD team analyzed Exxon
Mobils corporate governance and significant
accounting policies relating to post-retirement
benefits. The team is eligible to return and go
straight into finals at next summers competition, which will be held in Washington D.C.

courtesy of ALPFA

The ALPFA-UMD chapter was founded
by economics major, Peter Canales, and accounting and information systems double
major, Ivana Mejias. With the help of Pamela
Hernandez, former coordinator for Latina/o
Student Involvement at the office of Multicultural Involvement and Community Advocacy
(MICA), along with the help and support of
student organizations such as La Unidad Latina,
Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity, Inc., the
Latino Student Union (LSU) and the Coalition
of Latino Student Organizations (CLSO), the
ALPFA-UMD chapter was established in fall
2010.

Their goal was to establish an organization on campus for Latinos and other minorities that would provide the skills and resources
needed to succeed as a professional. ALPFA
also connects students to internships and jobs at
major competitive accounting firms such as Deloitte, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), KPMG,
and Ernst and Young.

Being a minority student is hard
enough, trying to make it in the business world
is even harder, so I wanted to make it easier for
them, said co-founder Peter Canales.

We are such a small percentage on
campus and an even smaller percentage in the
business school. ALPFA is like a family - we
ALPFA, CONTINUES ON PAGE 7

Last spring, the Latino Greek life

welcomed Corazones Unidos Siempre,
Chi Upsilon Sigma National Latin Sorority, Inc., also known as CUS, as the
newest Latin sorority on campus and
the first and only colony in the state of
Maryland.
CUS, which is also the first independent Latin sorority in the nation
and the first to step and stroll, became
a colony at the University of Maryland
on April 29, 2011 when seven students became interested in starting a
chapter. The interest group was called
The Organization of Women Looking
for Sisterhood in Chi Upsilon Sigma,
O.W.LS in CUS.
CUS, which English translation is
hearts united always, was nationally
founded on April 29, 1980 at Rutgers
University in New Brunswick, NJ.
It was founded to create a home
away from home for first generation
Latina women who didnt have the resources to seek higher education, said
president of CUS and junior criminology and criminal justice major Jennifer
Cruz.
According to the CUS national
website, the founding mothers wanted
their members to focus on four pillars:
educational, political, cultural, and
social awareness.
I decided to colonize because I
felt that there was a need for diversity
among the Latino Greeks, said cofounder of CUS and junior government
and politics major Raquel FloresJuarbe. There was only one other
organization, and I felt that women
interested in Latin sororities deserved
to have more than one option available
to them. I felt that I wanted to contribute to UMDs campus.
In fall 2011, the interest group
began to hold events, recruit more
potential interests, and build stronger
relationships with other organizations.
CUS, CONTINUES ON PAGE 7

latino heritage month

Latino Heritage Month Kickoff Unites University

By Jos Umaa

Entertainment and culture united the
president of the Gamma Phi Sigma Hermanos
Pachamama (mother earth in Quechua, the naUniversity of Maryland community as the anUnidos Fraternity, Inc., presenting Judy Martive language of Potosi, Bolivia).
nual Latino Heritage Month Festival, organized tinez, coordinator for the office of Multicultural
Freshman Xandria Baleno followed
by the Coalition of Latino Student OrganizaInvolvement & Community Advocacy, with the up afterwards with a rendition of a Christian
tions (CLSO), kicked off the month of festiviRaza Award for her work with uniting many
Aguilera song accompanied with her guitar
ties of Hispanic Heritage.
students in the Hispanic population at the unithat brought a soulful mood. Abisola Kusimo, a

With a crowd of
mechanical Engineerover 100 people in attening major from New
dance in the Nyumburu
Jersey, rounded out the
Ampitheater, the night was
student performers by
filled with music, dances,
motivating the audiand games that showcased
ence with her spoken
many customs of different
word poetry.
Hispanic countries. Ac
In between
cording to CLSO President
performances, comedic
Jasmin Herrera, the event
relief and laughs were
took over three months of
added to the show via
planning in order to make
most of the UMD
it a success.
Hispanic fraternities

Once school
and sororities with
ended last [spring] semesinteractive games with
ter, we were here at least
the audience. Some of
once a week, organizing
the competitions
the event, stated Herrera.
included Latino karaWe wanted to make this
oke from the Chi
show a great showcase for
Upsilon Sigma Nathe community on campus
tional Latin Sorority,
The Fraternidad Cultural Pachamama, a Bolivian dance troupe, was one of many performances at the LHM kickoff.
Jose Vasquez
and make the Hispanic
Inc., a clothes changpopulation more known.
versity with activities across campus.
ing competition with the Lambda

While the festival was filled with music,
Local Hispanic band Inseparable played Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Inc., and a Bachata
dances, and entertainment from different counCumbia, an originally Colombian genre of
dance competition from the Lambda Theta Phi
tries from all over Central and South America,
music that has grown popularity in Mexico and Fraternity, Inc.
the show carried a theme of unity and voice that parts of Central America, which brought many

My favorite part was the bachata conwas presented through every performance and
audience members to the central stage to dance test, stated freshman Laura Romero. I really
announcement. Almost every speaker spoke of
to the music.
enjoyed the festival.
the importance to stay united and to speak their
Afterwards, more local and student

La Unidad Latina, Lambda Upsilon
voice, as the U.S. presidential and local elecperformers made their way up the stage and
Lambda Fraternity, Inc. joined together with
tions draw closer. CLSO representatives went
wowed the audience with their displays of talLambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity to end the
around registering people to vote during the
ent. First, Joy Maldonado, a local high school
show with a Hispanic spelling bee where the
festivities.
student, performed a mix of modern dance and
consequences for getting the word wrong would

This year, our theme for Latino Herihip-hop fusion. Continuing with the dancing
result into a whipped cream pie to the face of a
tage Month is: One Nation: Life, Liberty, and
theme, a Brazilian and Latino movement group group member, uniting the audience to particiJustice for all or Una Nacion: Vida, Libertad
demonstrated and taught Capoeira, a Brazilian
pate in Hispanic culture.
y Justicia para Todos. Christian Del Cid, the
martial art that combines dance with music.

The festival was great, junior Ren
Master of Ceremonies said. We all have a
Lastly, a Bolivian dance troupe, called The
Diaz said. I got to see and meet other great Lavoice and should use it during elections in tryFraternidad Cultural Pachamama, used their
tinos on campus. It was great to see the Latino
ing to make a positive change.
Bolivian culture and tradition to demonstrate
unity on campus.

The event began with Chris Martinez,
the dance of the Tinkus or encounter for the
LHM Trajectory continued

evolve and include.

The term that serves to
unite the community at critical
times is Latino because it helps
take on the huge problem of being such an encompassing term for
many different people with many
different countries of origin.
The U.S. is the second largest
Spanish-speaking country, so were
no longer a focus group, Diaz
said. Our biggest challenge is
diversity.

Rouse, an assistant professor in the department of government and politics as well as a
research fellow at the Center for
American Politics and Citizenship
here at UMD, discussed how it is
imperative that Latinos teach non-

Latinos against the perceptions that

the news and media often influence. Educating the non-Latino
community is a significant aspect
of Hispanic Heritage Month.

She went on to examine
surveys that conveyed the top
issues that matter to Latino legislators and the Latino community,
including universal healthcare coverage, the DREAM act and, most
importantly, education.

The trajectory of Latinos
has a much more local impact, she
said. Our priorities are the priorities of everyone.

While the two-hour lecture presentation saw a very small
crowd, it allowed an opportunity
for more of an interactive, ques-

tion-and-answer environment for

the few interested students to ask
questions that the presenters raised.

Its really easy to generalize and stereotype Spanish people,
said junior government and politics major Peter Sullivan. I guess
thats why diversity can pose a
problem in the community.

latino heritage month

LIFE, LIBERTY, AND JUSTICE FOR ALL

VIDA, LIBERTAD, Y JUSTICIA PARA TODOS
By Blanca Bejarano

The refrain life, liberty,
and justice for all has been wellknown for years, and on Sept. 17,
faculty and student alumni of the
University of Maryland united
to provide meaning to this years
theme for Latino Heritage Month
(LHM).

The LHM 2012 Opening
Ceremony welcomed Dr. Mark
Brimhall-Vargas, associate director of the Office of Diversity
Education and Compliance, as the
master of ceremonies. He began
the ceremony with his interpretation of the month, paying close
attention to the details on many of
the posters and t-shirts promoting
LHM on campus.

I noticed several items
about the use of language. Its
not Hispanic Heritage Month
anymore, he said, [the posters]
use L-A-T-I-N-@ symbol for
Latina/o.

Despite the interesting
word choice, the question of the
night centered on what life, liberty
and justice meant to la comunidad
Latina.

New faculty member Dr.
Michelle Espino, assistant professor of the Department of Counseling, Higher Education and Special
Education, touched on her views
of life in which our present situation deny so many of our people
the opportunities to good education, to equal opportunity, [and] to
quality of life simply because they
do not have the right documentation to claim their fundamental
human rights.

Recognized as one of the
most important Latina people on
campus, Dr. Ana Patricia Rodriguez, associate professor of the
Department of Spanish and Portuguese and U.S. Latina/o Studies, gave what she considered a
distinction between liberty and
freedom.

I came to this term in a
very conflictive matter, said Rodriguez. [Liberty] means a term
of displacement, a term of conflict, a term of war, but it also is a
term of great promise for a lot of
people who struggle with libertad
[and] freedom is a term that is
very hard to qualify for.

Adriana Rosas, UMD
alumna and sister of Lambda
Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Inc.,
spoke about the findings of her
senior thesis paper, which focused
on investigating the history of
Latinos at the University of Maryland.

According to Rosas, although Panamanian student Cadet
A. Cook was the first Latino to
attend the University in 1871, it
wasnt until the late 1980s that the
Latino population began to have
a more visible presence on the
university.

However, since the 1990s,
the Latino population at the
university has remained at less
than 10 percent of the student
body though the universitys total
undergraduate enrollment rate has
been anywhere from 20,000 to
26,000 undergraduate students.

The Latino population
has not really risen for quite sometime. The low attendance rates I
believe are something that with us
being here since 1871, or having
a presence here, that should be
more, said Rosas.

For the past twenty years,
the Latino population has remained in the 1000 range. In the
1990s, the Latino population was
1,655 students and in the fall of
2011, the Latino population was
1,963 students.

The Opening Ceremony,
organized by the Multicultural
Involvement & Community Advocacy Office (MICA), the Coalition of Latino Student Organizations (CLSO), and the Office of
Multi-Ethnic Student Education
(OMSE), successfully joined the
UMD community together to reflect on the idea of living in one
nation.

Towards the end of the ceremony, Dr. William John Hanna,
professor in the department of Urban Studies, reflected on his own
meaning of the refrain justice for
all, but also on how he believes
that we dont have equality in the
United States.

If this were true, then in
the words of Espino, Mi gente
we got work to do, so lets do it.

Students discuss Afro-Latino identity

By Karen Mawdsley

Do you define yourself by your name?
Your age? Race? Ethnicity, religion, gender,
hometown, family, friends likes or dislikes?

With countless components that can be
used to define us as human beings and as individuals, the concept of identity is a universal
struggle.

But this game of tug of war between
oneself and ones identity can be even stronger
for Black LatinosBlack Americans of Hispanic descent.

People who identify themselves as
being Afro-Latinos face the challenge of not
fitting the stereotype of the Latino everyone
thinks about when they hear the word, Douglas Jimenez, president of the University of
Marylands Lambda Theta Phi Latin Fraternity
said. A lot of people dont even know that
Afro-Latinidad exists.

But that is precisely why individuals and
groups are trying to initiate discussion through
what is referred to as the Black Latino/-a Movement.

And the University of Maryland is completely on board.

On Sept. 18, Lambda Theta Phi Latin
Fraternity, Inc., and the Caribbean Student As-

sociation, after recognizing the prominence of

racism within the diverse Latino community,
held a student discourse on identifying as Latino and black.

Participants, after viewing a documentary highlighting the tension between Haiti and
the Dominican Republic, discussed racism and
the conflicts it creates as well as identity issues
all young people, but particularly those of African descent, face growing up.

Due to the all too common misconception that Latinos are lighter skinned, Jimenez
said, the huge African influence in the culture is
often overlooked.

What was always interesting to me
was peoples reactions when they would get
confused for being black. Some would respond
negatively and say I am only this or that culture, while others would be super proud of
their roots, reflected this universitys Graduate
Coordinator for Black Student Involvement and
Advocacy, Aurin Agramonte.

While some Hispanics take offense to
being referred to as black, others feel estranged from both their black and Latino/-a
peers.

They see that they do not fit the stereotypical image of the Latino or Latina, and

it gives them a feeling of exclusion, said

Jimenez.

And others yet embrace both identities.

I am Black Latina, stated Crystal
Shaniece Roman, CEO and founder of the appropriately named company The Black Latina
Movement.

She formed the company, which aims to
advance the Black Latina voice through music,
theater, and film, as a result of her struggles and
frustrations as a child and actress who identified
as both black and Latina.
Once I realized there were many others who
struggled with this double and sometimes
triple identityI knew I had something on my
hands.

We as Latinos should embrace all aspects of our culture and not be divisive against
our own people, Jimenez said.

The emergence of more discussion
through the Black Latino/-a Movement is a step
in the right direction, Agramonte, Roman, and
Jimenez all agree.

I personally just live the movement in
my daily life, Agramonte said, I do not fit the
traditional or expected definition of Black in
this country, but I am part of the African diasporaIm Caribbean, and my involvement in the
AFRO-LATINO, CONTINUES ON PAGE 6

deportes

Mexican boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. tests positive for marijuana
Chavez may face a year long suspension
By Ivette Lucero Lopez

Not only did Mexican boxer Julio Cesar
Chavez Jr. lose his WBO middleweight championship fight in Las Vegas against Sergio Martinez on Sept. 15, but it appears he will also be
losing money and his boxing license after the
Nevada State Athletic Commission notified the
boxer and his boxing promoting company, Top
Rank, that he tested positive for marijuana.

According to Dan Rafael, ESPN boxing analyst, this is not the first time Chavez has
tested positive in a drug test, which could make
his punishment more severe than his first time
offense in 2009.

During that last failed test, Chavez tested positive for furosemide, a diuretic drug that
is commonly used to cut weight or to prevent
detection of a banned substance or illegal drug.
Chavezs actions also got him three years probation as a result of driving under the influence
and without a valid license earlier this year in
California. He was also fined 10 percent of his
earnings for that fight along with seven months
suspension

With this latest charge, the son of
the famed retired Mexican boxer Julio Cesar
Chavez faces a chance of being suspended for

a year because of his past behavior and a bigger fee for his actions, as this is his second drug
testing offense in Las Vegas, which can be a
lead role in determining punishment.

According to HBO Series 24/7, a reality
show that follows the training of the boxers before their fight, Chavezs attitude resembled that
of a rebellious teenager, as though he knew he
was going to win. Chavez was late to training
appointments and at one point during taping,
didnt even show up.

While his opponent Martinez was shown
constantly training day and night for the fight,
Chavez lacked duty to train hard and motivate
himself to the fullest based on his actions.

Even with the inclusion of having
prestigious boxing trainer Freddy Roach, whose
history of trainees consist of Oscar de La Hoya,
Manny Paquiao and Amir Khan, did not seem
to have given an impact on Chavez as the
negative behavior continued. The frustration
Roach showed as the lack of effort coming from
Chavez worried him that if he did not prepare
for the fight, Chavez was bound to lose.

This has led some fans to agree with
Chavezs trainer and believe that Chavezs use

of marijuana could have been holding him back

from properly training for this fight.

I believe he had a chance to win this
fight. If you watch what happened in the 12th
round he knocked Martinez down, Natasha
McGee, a current University of Maryland
graduate student said. He has it in him, but it
makes sense that if he tested positive for marijuana that couldve been a component to why
he loss.

Since the news hit that Chavez had tested positive for marijuana he has since released a
statement via twitter to his fans and the boxing
world, vowing for a rematch against Martinez

I apologize to all those who were
disappointed or aggrieved by my behavior, he
said in Spanish tweets, Everything that happened makes this a perfect time to stop and
think about the future. Now it is time for a new
Julio Cesar Chavez to be born and I will begin a
period in my career that will prepare me physically and mentally to achieve new goals, including, in the short term, a rematch with Sergio
Maravilla Martinez.

Central America teams fight for final World Cup qualifier spots
By Jos Umaa

Five Central American national teams
looked to garner favorable results on their last
two games in group play in order to advance to
the next stage of qualifiers in the CONCACAF/
North American region for the FIFA World Cup
in Brazil 2014.

El Salvador, Guatemala, Costa Rica,
Panama and Honduras are four out of the remaining eight teams that may still qualify for
the hexagonal round of qualifiers that start next
year, as only the top two teams from each of the
three groups will continue forward. The next
round of matches will be played on October
12th and 16th.

In Group A, three out of the four teams
can still qualify as the United States, Guatemala
and Jamaica are tied with the same number of
points and results. Guatemala, currently in second place due to a goal differential tie-breaker
with the United States, must win their home
match against Jamaica in order to take command of one of the two top spots in the group.
According to Grant Wahl, senior soccer writer
for Sports Illustrated, Guatemala hopes to win

big against the Jamaicans so that they dont

have a lot of pressure in the last game against
the United States in Kansas. If Los Chapines
lose against Jamaica, they would have to win
against the U.S. and need Jamaica to lose
against the groups last place team, Antigua and
Barbuda.

Meanwhile, Mexico is the only team to
have qualified out of Group B to the next round
by winning all four of their group matches
heading to the last round of matches. El Salvador and Costa Rica are fighting for the last spot
as the Salvadorians currently sit in second in the
group with 5 points (one win, two draws, and
one lost). In order for El Salvador to qualify,
they must at least have one victory in their final
two matches (away to Mexico and home against
Costa Rica).

It will be a very difficult for El Salvador
since Mexico has not lost in their past 11
World Cup qualifiers and Costa Rica, who will
play last place Guyana before their final group
match in San Salvador, will be looking to get
results in their last two matches as they need to

AFRO-LATINO continued
movement is to educate people and to normalize that term African diaspora.

Agramonte voiced being proud of
people embracing the same kind of living the
movement by doing things like leaving their
hair natural and challenging their families perception of their own identity.

I love the way [the movement] is

headed, Agramonte commented. The more

we normalize it, the easier it will be for others
to embrace their afro-latinidad.

win and get at least a tie to advance to the new

round. The final spot to the next round could be
determined as the two teams play each other in
their group match.

El Salvadors new Head Coach Juan de
Dios Castillo believes that even though Costa
Rica is a good opponent, the Salvadorian players can get the job done to advance to the next
round.

Ultimately the only thing that counts is
points, Castillo said in an interview with FIFA.
com. Were getting to know each other, but the
players know that qualification is in our own
hands, and that were not dependent on anyone
else but ourselves.

In the final group, Panama currently
holds a slim lead (9 points; three wins and one
loss) over both Honduras and Canada (both
are tied with 7 points). Panama needs a victory
while Canada and Honduras needs a combination of results in order to place second in the
group.

entretenimiento

Third annual salsa competition brings dancers of all skill levels together
By Melanie Balakit

Dancers of all different
skill levels competed in a salsa and
bachata competition co-sponsored
by Gamma Phi Sigma Hermanos
Unidos Fraternity, Inc. and the
University of Maryland Latin Dance
Company, on Fri., Sept. 21 to benefit
the American Cancer Society.

Salsa and bachata are two
partner dances that are extremely
popular in Latin America, as well
as in the Latino community in the
United States. Salsa has origins in
Cuba, while bachata originates from
the Dominican Republic. This is the
first time the competition has included bachata since its conception
in 2008.

The third annual competition
featured two different competitions
for salsa and bachata. The first was
a couples competition, where contestants formally chose their partner, and were judged by a panel of
judges. The second was a Jack and
Jill competition, where contestants
met their partner on the open floor
and were judged by the audience.

Prior to the competition, a
free salsa class was provided by
Latin Dance Vibe, LLC, an instructional dance company based in the
DC metro area.

The competition also featured
a dance performance by Dynamix
Dance team, a D.C. metro-based
group.

Weve been together for a
year and a half, said Nebyat Yonas,
referring to Jhef Felix, her partner in
the salsa couples competition.

Allan Gonzalez

But this is our first time
in an actual competition, she
said. I learned salsa by just going
out, she said. Its a lot of fun.

Elyse Weitzman, a student
from the University of Pittsburgh
and a competitor in the salsa
couples competition began dancing salsa almost a year and a half
ago.

I took an introduction to
salsa class last summer and have
been dancing ever since, said
Weitzman. Now I dance it on a
weekly basis. I have a passion for
it.

I actually just passed

by and decided to join, said

Danny Catacora, a sophomore
electrical engineering major who
placed third in the salsa Jack and
Jill contest. Catacora said hes
had some experience with salsa
and ballroom dancing, but hes
mainly learned how to dance from
Quinceeras and parties. Dancing brought the family closer, he
added.

Mikeala Smith, a graduate
clinical social work student from
the University of Maryland, Baltimore, also didnt plan on entering the dance competition. I got
invited by one of my sisters from

CUS continued

Once the interests felt ready to precede

in gaining membership into the sorority,
they reached out to the Area Expansion Officer, Cynthia Santiago-Pagan, for the next
steps into becoming a sister.
Flores-Juarbe feels that CUS is different from other Latina sororities because
CUS not only focuses on academics, but
they also focus on educating the community.
We want to be sure that our campus
and local communities are aware of issues
that directly affect them, said FloresJuarbe.
Although the organization has already
begun to make great strides, the women
do face challenges in becoming a chapter. The university will not recognize the

my sorority, Chi Lota Pi, Inc.,

she said. Smith ending up winning
first place in the salsa Jack and
Jill competition with her partner
Alex Wilson. Ive never done
this before, Smith said. But
my mom is Trinidadian and we
always danced around the house,
she said.

We wanted the Latino community united through
music, said Chris Martinez,
president of Gamma Phi Sigma
fraternity. The food, music, and
culture we need to keep it all
alive, he said.

ALPFA continued

colony as a chapter until there are eight

members. Also, since they are the only two
sisters, Cruz and Flores must split between
them all the officer positions.
Our biggest challenge right now is
that we are so small, we have to work
twice as hard for people to know who we
are and what were about, said Cruz.
Nonetheless, Cruz and Flores are looking forward to expanding the colony and
becoming a chapter.

I would hope that we attract women who are interested in making a positive
difference for their community and are
willing to step outside of their comfort,
said Flores-Juarbe. Because at the end of
the day they will have support from their
sisters.

support each other and collectively work towards achieving our professional and personal
goals, said Avilene Rubio-Palencia, an accounting and information systems double major
and current secretary.

The ALPFA-UMD chapter also strives
to reach out and recruit many other students
of all ethnicities and a wide range of majors.
Were aiming to reach out to students outside
of business too, everyone can benefit from
networking, no matter what major because we
are all professionals, said co-founder Ivana
Mejias.

The students in ALPFA-UMD will be
the best of the best, said Canales.

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