IUPLR - APRIL Faculty E-mail Update


INSIDE the April 2000 Noticiero de IUPLR:

* News from several IUPLR Member Centers
* RAND announces their 7th Annual Summer Institute (RSI) on Demography, Economics, and Epidemiology
* The University of Connecticut in Storrs is searching for a permanent director for the Puerto Rican
   and Latino Studies Institute
* The Chicana/Chicano Studies Program at University of California-Davis seeks a full-time,
   tenure-track assistant professor.


IUPLR HEADQUARTER NEWS

Visit the IUPLR web site at: http://www.nd.edu/~iuplr.

Please send your center updates, center events, faculty news, faculty opportunities, fellowship opportunities, and publication news to vsaenz@prodigy.net.


CENTER NEWS

Cuban Research Institute, Florida International University Building on the success of the First(1997) and Second(1999) conferences, the Cuban Research Institute continues the tradition of convening every 18 months all those persons committed to the study of the Cuban nation. The conference will be held at the University Park Campus of Florida International University. The CRI anticipates that this 3rd confernce will surpass its precursors in attendance and in the breadth of its disciplinary and thematic coverage. We also anticipate that the conference will continue the tradition of attracting scholars from throughout the world, including, of course, Cuba. Cultural activities are planned for the conference's evening hours. For more information call the Institute at: (305) 348-1991, or visit their web site at: http://lacc.fiu.edu/cri/flyer/index.html.


Chicano Studies Research Center, UCLA

The Chicano Studies Research Center at UCLA recently hosted a question-and-answer forum with the members of Los Tigres del Norte, the award-winning Norteño band whose songs and ballads of Latin America evoke the soulful roots of Latin American popular music. To express their dedication to education, they have established a Los Tigres del Norte Foundation that will support "the study, preservation and dissemination of folk music in Spanish" and will allow the CSRC to conduct a number of projects. The first of these projects will be the transfer into digital form of the Arhoolie Frontera collection. With the support of the Tigres del Norte Fund, CSRC will begin by transferring 15,000 phonograph discs produced (mostly) in the United States between 1910 and 1950. The CSRC hopes later to digitize the 45's and the LP's. The digitized format will allow their students, faculty, and visiting scholars to have at their disposal the largest collection of Chicano and Mexican popular music in existence. They believe its access will open new avenues for research in a diverse number of disciplines.

Chicano Studies Research Program, UTEP

On Thursday, April 27, 2000, the Chicano Studies Research Program at UTEP will host a conference entitled, "Women, Power and Politics in the Border Conference." The one-day conference will be from 8:00 a.m. till 3:00 p.m., at theTomas Rivera Conference Center, Student Union Bldg., 3rd. floor. For more information, please visit their web site at: http://www.utep.edu/chicano. This event is free and open to the public.

Center for Mexican American Studies, UT-Austin

April 28-29 (Friday-Saturday) Día de los Niños/Día de los Libros.
In conjunction with the Mexican American Culture Committee and Austin Community College, CMAS will host a celebration of Día de los Niños/Día de los Libros at UT. Morning workshops will be geared toward children from elementary and junior-high schools, and afternoon workshops will be designed for high school, community college, and university students. Schoolteachers will also participate in the workshops. Francisco Alarcón, award-winning bilingual poet, director of the Spanish for Native Speakers Program, and professor of Chicano studies at the University of California, Davis, will be the featured children's book author. Alarcón has written three books published by Children's Book Press: Laughing Tomatoes and Other Spring Poems (recipient of the Pura Belpré Award and the National Parenting Gold Medal Award), from the Bellybutton of the Moon and Other Summer Poems, and the recently released Angels Ride Bikes and Other Fall Poems. On Saturday the celebration will continue with a bilingual family event that celebrates children, books, reading, family learning, and family and community spirit. The event will take place at the Cepeda Branch Library, located at the corner of 7th Street and Pleasant Valley Road, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Activities include a presentation by Francisco Alarcón, bilingual storytelling, bookmaking and puppets, internet workshops, music and dance, and a book distribution organized by Reading is Fundamental. Free and open to the public. The Saturday event is sponsored by the Austin Public Library, CMAS, Austin Community College, and a host of community organizations and businesses.

April 30 (Sunday) Benefit Film Screening.

"They Come at Night", an award-winning feature film written and directed by University of Texas professor Lindy Laub, will be shown at 7:00 p.m. in the Texas Union Theater, 24th and Guadalupe. The event is sponsored by ILAS. "They come at Night" is a story of two women and two cultures. After a failed suicide attempt, Salvadoran political refugee Maria Velasquez draws L.A. psychotherapist Sarah Schaeffer into a dangerous collaboration that shatters professional bounds. The film won "Best Dramatic Feature" in the Minneapolis International Film Festival, and was also featured in the Havana International Film Festival, Chicago Latino Film Festival, South by Southwest, and others. The event will benefit two Austin community organizations: The Human Rights Documentation Exchange provides information on human rights abuses worldwide to assist refugees seeking safety and justice. Historically, much of its work has focused on Latin America. Austin Tan Cerca de la Frontera promotes support and solidarity with workers in the maquiladora industry in Mexico, and organizes delegations of Austin-area residents to visit border communities, learn first hand about life there, and support the efforts of Mexican workers to improve their living and working conditions. The ticket price for the fund-raiser will be $15 for general admission, and $5 for students and low income.

The Center for Mexican American Studies will hold a special graduation ceremony on Saturday, May 20, in the Flawn Academic Center Atrium, 4th floor, from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. The Honorable Henry Cuéllar, state representative for District 42, will be the commencement speaker. A reception will follow, from 11:00 a.m. to noon. Family and friends are especially welcome.


FACULTY NEWS

The Center for Mexican American Studies at UT-Austin will soon name a new center director. Please stay tuned for an update in the next IUPLR Noticiero.


OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUR STUDENTS

If you are a woman of color, 30 years old or younger, and are currently or will be enrolled in college (full time or part time) next year, you are eligible to apply for a scholarship from the Third Wave Foundation. Applicants will be judged primarily on the issue of financial need, but must demonstrate an involvement "in the social justice movement, working on issues such as racism, homophobia, sexism, or other institutional injustices. The creation of visual art (including film and video) and literature is considered a form of activism." Scholarships range from $1,000 to $5,000. The deadline for the Fall cycle is May 1, 2000 and November 1 for the Spring cycle. To receive an application, please contact the Third Wave Foundation at 212/338.1898 or Thirdwavef@aol.com.Source: Third Wave Foundation


Robert Schoeni, Director, RAND Summer Institute and Associate Director, Labor and Population Program announces the 7th Annual Summer Institute (RSI) on the Demography, Economics, and Epidemiology of Aging. RSI will be held July 14-16, 2000, at RAND in Santa Monica, California. It is sponsored by NIA and provides additional training to researchers new to the field of aging. This two and one-half day conference will be organized around 5 half-day sessions, each with a distinctive theme. Junior faculty, post-doctoral fellows, pre-doctoral candidates who have successfully defended their dissertations proposals, and senior researchers who are new to the field of aging are eligible to apply. Previous participants are welcome, as well. An application form, a 1-2 page essay describing current research and the research agenda, a curriculum vita, and one letter of reference are required to be sent to Elif Yarnall, RAND, 1700 Main Street, P. O. Box 2138, Santa Monica, CA 90407-2138. For more information, call: (310) 393-0411, extension 7989. Forms can be found on the web page at www.rand.org/centers/aging/rsi. Deadline for submission is April 28, 2000. All applicants will be considered for fellowship support to pay for registration, travel, and accommodations.


FACULTY OPPORTUNITIES

The University of Connecticut in Storrs is searching for a permanent director to assume a leadership role in the administration and continued growth of the Puerto Rican and Latino Studies Institute. Applicants for this position must be qualified for appointment as an associate or full professor, hold a doctorate in the social sciences, humanities or related field, and have a demonstrated commitment to and a strong record of scholarship and teaching experience in Latino Studies. The successful candidate will be one whose research, publication, and teaching records focus primarily on Puerto Ricans, Mexican Americans, and/or other Latinos in the continental United States, and who is culturally grounded in the U.S. Latino community. Administrative experience is also preferred. The director will be responsible for the management and development of all phases of the Institute's research, teaching, fund-raising, publications, and outreach programs. Screening of applications will begin in April 2000 and continue until the position is filled. Interested applicants should send a curriculum vitae, a statement of background and interest, and three letters of recommendation to: Dr. Scott Cook, Interim Director, Institute for Puerto Rican and Latino Studies, 354 Mansfield Road, Beach Hall, Box U-137, Storrs, CT 06269-2137.

Montana State University, Department of Sociology, is seeking a candidate for visiting assistant professor, beginning August 2000 (ABD or Ph.D.) Preference will be shown to candidates who can teach Introductory Sociology and two or more of the following: Political, Race/Gender, Stratification, Family, Environmental, Community, and Rural. Interested applicants should submit a letter of application, curriculum vita, and have three current references send letters to John Saltiel, Department of Sociology, Montana State University, Bozeman MT 59717-0238. For more information, call (406) 994-4201, or send an e-mail to: jsaltiel@montana.edu. Screening begins April 24, 2000 and continues until the position is filled. Minorities and women are strongly encouraged to apply. ADA/EO/AA/Veterans Preference.

The Chicana/Chicano Studies Program at University of California-Davis seeks a full-time, tenure-track assistant professor. They are seeking a social science generalist in Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies with a specialization in any of the following areas: economic and urban restructuring, transnational migrations, social movements, border/studies, and/or community studies. The position starts in Fall Quarter of 2000. Teaching responsibilities begin 9/18/00. Applicants should submit a cover letter of interest including a statement of research and teaching interests, a curriculum vitae, copies of published books, articles or other examples of scholarly writing; and the names and addresses of references to: Professor Kevin Johnson, Search Committee Chair, Chicana/o Studies Program One Shields Avenue, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616. For inquiries about the position, call (530) 752-2421, or e-mail at: krjohnson@ucdavis.edu.



IUPLR E-mail Update compiled by:
Victor Saenz 4203 Afton Lane
Austin, TX 78744
vsaenz@prodigy.net