La Voz de Aztlan, February 28 1980
Item
Title
La Voz de Aztlan, February 28 1980
Creator
Associated Students of Fresno State
Relation
La Voz de Aztlan (Daily Collegian, California State University, Fresno)
Coverage
Fresno, California
Date
2/28/1980
Format
PDF
Identifier
SCUA_lvda_00112
extracted text
California State University , Fresno
/
LA VOZ de AZTLAN
February 28, 1980
Thursday
Photo trom movie "Alambr1sta."
Mexican Workers: Cheap Labor?
By PETE RAMIREZ
Are Mexican workers really needed in
our agricultural industry to harvest our
aops or is it just a means to make it legal
to use cheap labor?
This question is . just one of many
brought up by the introduction of two
bills in legslation. One bill is being introdaced by Congressman Chip Pashayan
and the.other by Sen~tor S. I. Hayakawa.
Opponents to the bills argue that it is .
iust a way to bring back the Bracero Pro-
Despite the variety of jobs braceros
were employed in, groweres continually
stressed that Mexicans were obtained
only to do the hard stoop labor that white
Americans and domestics would not
accept. Intended just to be supplementary workers, braceros showed a tendency to outnumber domestics in certain
areas and in various jobs outside of agriculture.
well as to reduce the flow of "illegal"
immigrants.
The second bill is sponsored by local
representative, Chip Pashayan. His bill
is entitled the "Guest Worker Program
Act of 1979." The bill is more regulated
in that it includes fair-treatment guidelines for Mexican workers, including
safe and sanitary ho~sing.
A provision of the bill includes the
issuance of "'tamperproof" identification
cards to be shown to prospective
employers as proof of their "legal"
eligibility to work in the United States.
The Labor Department would have to
certify that domestic workers were not
available and that employment of
Continued on page 4
.Cuban Women Attain
First Class Status
The program was to have ended after
the war, ;but ·braceros were still being
1ram.
used until the agreement between
The bracero program was begun ·in Mexico and the United States ended
response to the labor shortage of World in December of 1964. With the termina- .
War 11. Crowers needed manpower tion of the program it was thought
to pick their crops and they turned to never to be necessary again until recently, when two bills were introduced Editor's Note:
Mexico to solve their problem.
Last week's is~e
Crowers and agencies of the federal in an attempt to -revive the bracero · featured Dr. Lea Ybarra-Soriano 's
program proposed that planned migra- program.
trip to Cuba in December. This week La
The first bill was, introduced by Sen- · Voz-. De Aztlan staff writer, Angele
tion would provide orderly recruitment
and alleviate the problem. Minimum ator S. I. Hayakawa on June 28; 1979. Belton, focuses in on women in Cuba .
wage standards could be set, · public Entitled the "United States-Mexico Next week she will focus on education in
Good Neighbor Act of 1979." The bill's Cuba.
funds could be spent in initiating and
purpose it fill . the many .short-term
maintaining the program.
Federal
. At one time women in Cuba were
subsidies helped to minimize costs. The economic needs of Mexicans and short- considered second or third-ciass citi~
main provision was that workers could term labor needs of _American agricul- zens . ~ucn 1s no longer the case. Today
be sent home when they were no longer tural and service industries by a tem- 95 % of all Cuban women are members
porary worker visa program.
· of the Cuban Federation of Women .
needed.
Mr. Hayakawa insists that it is neces- The organization is active at the block
, Almost from the beginning the
braceros were exploited and the program sary to establish a legal farmworker/ level, the municipal level, and the nawas misused although the braceros · for Mexican labor in the United States tional level. Because of the . strength
were received with eagerness.
in order to harmonize the_use of such
of this group, progress has been made.
Although, originally braceros were workers and to prevent the abuse of Men and women are now receiving equal
recruited for agriculture, they were them by smugglers. Others Teasons for education at most levels . When a factory
found to be advantageous in almost his bill is to better protect American or other business establishment is built,·
every other kind_ of job to be found. workers from unfair competition, as women receive a fair proportion of the
jobs. While women can be housewives,
they are now encouraged to join the work
force :-
The Family Code established by the
Federation has had a big impact on family life. Before, men would -only help
with the housework when their peers
were out of sight. Now, men are openly
sharing the 'fiousehofd and child-care
respons;bilities, particularly when both
husband and wife work.
Moreover, household activities and
child care have been lessened for women
in a variety of ways. If women wish,
they may leave their shopping _list at
their local grocery store and pick up
their groceries, already bagged and
ready· to go, on their way home. Cu.ban
women can also benefit from the manv
Continued on pa1e 4
•
.-'~ Voz De Aztla_n
Pagel
'No On 9' Being Formed
On Campus
With tentative plans being made on
Other effects would be a possible
how to deal with the · effects of the faculty cut-back, as well as the closing
Jarvis II initiative on the CSUF campus, of · the smaller departments on campus.
a club has been formed to help defeat Tuition costs may lower the already
the proposition in the upcoming June decreasing enrollment IPvels in the
CSUC system . A possible long range
primary.
The club, *Campus no on 9* effect of Proposition 9 would be the
was formed to help educate faculty, stu- closinat of campuses across the state.
dents, and community members on the
With this in mind, *Campus No On 9"
depressing. effects the jarvis initiativ:e,
will
try to make people aware of the
or Proposition 9, will have on the
C.S.U.C. (California State Universities danger if the initi~tive is passed.
and Colleges) system and it's campuses
Everyone who is interested in helping
of which Cal State Fresno is a member
defeat the proposition, is encouraged
of.
Proposition 9, if passed, wfll eli- to attend a *Campus no on 9" meeting
minate 50% of the personal income to be held this Wednesday, February 27
tax, which would mean the state will at noon in the College Union, rm. 309.
lose an estimated $4.9 billion. The revenue loss to the C.S.U.C.system will be
The committee will sponsor a voter
approximately $200 million from the
registration drive, fund raisers, and a
state.
educational literature on Prop. 9
The effects on the CSUF campus will
If you have any question regarding
be tuition being set at $480 a semester.
According to Ken Seib, chairman of Prop. 9 and the "Campus no on 9" or, the C.S .U. , Fresno United Professors ganization, please contact Dave Ditora
of California, for every $100. increase at 487-2657 /CU rm. 306 or Ken Seib
at 487-2009 / SR 4 rm. 209
in cost, 3% of .the students
will be lost.
. .
Chicanas Receive Low Pay
Finally, 17.2 percent of all MexicanAmer!can families were headed by
women. Of those female household
heads who worked at any time during
1975, 60.3 percent had earnings below
the poverty level. ,
·
In 1975, about 71 percent of Chicanas
~arned_.'ess than SS ,000 a year, accordmR to Profile of the Chicana: A Statis-
tical Fact Sheet,* MALDEF, 1978. Low
paying, low skilled jobs contribute to
their low annual income of $2,925.
Chicanas complete an average of 10
years of school, about two years less
than women in the population at large.
Eighteen percent have completed less
than five years of school: Only 24 per- .
cent completed high school; and of those
25 years or older, only 3.2 percent are
college graduates.'
·
ELECTIONS FOR 1980 -81
A.S.B.- C.U. OFFICERS MARCH 18,19,20
BE HEARD!
POSITIONS .OPEN ARE A SENATE POSITION,
SENATOR AT LARGE OR
FOR A COLLEGE UNION POSITION
PETITIONS AR~ AVAILABLE FEBRUARY 25 - 29
IN JOYAL ADMINISTRATION ROQM ·224
PETITION DEADLINE IS F~~RUARY 29
.
February 28, 1911
DOUBLE STANDARDS
?
•
By YOLANDA SOTO
by faculty and some students from the
Lately MEChA has tried to hold fund- dorms, but there was no time for
raiser dances in the residence cafeteria
reaction."
Lilly Espinoza, MEChA
and has run into unnecessary obstacles
member replied, "I did follow the rules
such as, issues involving the manda- but still I was told the day before the
tory purchase of punch and cookies in
occasion that there would be no back-toorder to use facilities which were no school dance according to Marshal , an
longer mandatory, and the late notice of assistant of Finlev."
•mandatory security.
Lea Ybarra-Soriano brought the point
up that the students pay fees for campus
These issues were raised in a meeting
held last Thursday with Bill Corcoran,
facilities, such as the residence cafeteria
Dean of Student's Affairs and Rick and they shouldn~t be denied the use of
Finley, Head of Food Services, concern- these facilities, especially in such short
ing the problems student organizations
notice, as the day before.
Manuel Perez, a staff representative
have had to face in order to have a
dance. Others who attended the meet- felt, *In order to help the problem the
ing were faculty Lea Ybarra-Soriano, Ad Hoc.Committee needs more feedback
Manuel Perez and Ernesto Martinez.
from groups on campus, students who
have gone through the hassels . w In
Students concerned with the problem
attended as ME Ch A representatives. response Corcoran asked Lilly Espinoza
During the meeting Ernesto Martinez and Sylvia Rodriguez, two well involved
raised the question, "Why are different students, to join the Ad Hoc Committee
obstacles raised and no guidelines set in order to get more feedback from
to follow?"
In answer to Martinez' diverse groups.
question Bill Corcoran· replied, "There
Some Chicano students and faculty
fare guidelines , they were put together feel this problem is connected to racism
very quickly a couple of months ago
because of past experiences in dealing
by the Ad Hoc Committee represented with similar situations.
They hope
to remedy the situation by more Chicano
input in the Ad Hoc Committee.
Cartas
Dear Editor:
I would like to take this opportunity
to encourage students to take advantage
of the free services offered by the
P.A.S.S program established on campus
last semester.
The intent of the P.A.S.S. program is
to provide an opportunity for students
to improve their reading skills, English
language proficiency and basic. problemsolving techniques in math and science.
The program also offers assistance to
new students on the CSUF campus
who feel lost and need help adjusting
to college life
The P.A.S.S. staff are sensitive to
the needs of the college student and are
well qualified to handle student related
problems~ we're here to help! Don ' t
wait until it's too late - get help for
your studies now. Stop by our office
in the Joyal Administration Building,
Room 240 or call us at 487-1238.
Pat Aguirre
Director/PASS Service
La Voz Staff
Editor .......... Margarita
M.
Martfnez
Reporters ...... ...... Edward G. Aparicio
Angele Belton
Eli Carda
Dora Lara
Pete Ramirez
Yolanda Soto
Cartoonist. .................... Carlos
Ostos
Art Work ................. Arturo Ocampo
l uan Hernandez
Photo Editor ................. Lupe Mora
.
Luis Vasquez
February 28, 1980
Pagel
La Voz De Aztlln
Francisco Ivarra, . Climbing The
Ladder _O f Success
then went on to Skagit Valley Community College in Washingtonwhere he was
dfrector of the Title 7, bilingual biAt first glance, he gives one a feeling cultural project and director of Mexican
of warmth and comfort, yet he com- American studies. "I am very committed
mands one's respect.
Francisco
to the education profession,~ lvarra
lvarra professor in the School of Social stated.
Work and oart-time La Raza Studies
With lvarra 's large education backinstructor is well recognized at Califor- ground, he has his own ideas of the
nia State University, t-resno despite his profession. "The concept of teaching in
brief tenure . His list of accomplish- a classroom through diverse learning
ments seems endless.
environment that exists because of the
~eteor~enous of people in this country
A graduate of the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington, Francisco rs very important."
After leaving the State of Washington,
lvarra has attained his masters and B.A.
in sociology and anthropology and a lvarra taught at Bowling Green UniversPhd in social science. While in atten- ity in Ohio where he developed the Chidance, lvarra was instructed by Vine cano culture. He then taught at another
Deloria Jr., author of "Custer Died For midwest (Michigan) University. While
Your Sins/ and many other well known traveling in search of a better awareness
Native American books. Another wel I in culture and education lvarra is quite
knowledgeable in many aspects of the
known-'protessor which lvarra was
education
field. "I feel I have a well
impressed with was Dr. Sergio Elizondo,
rounded education, thus able to teach in
a well known Chicano poet.
He was involved in many school activ- many areas."
ities, also having been elected president
In 1975, lvarra was one out of 300
of MEChiA . During the 60's, lvarra was Chicanos to receive the Health Eduvery involved in the moviemiento
cation and Welfare Fellowship Award .
particularily in the Yakima Valley, where
Having been at CSUF a few years,
the largest concentration of Chicanos
lvarra enjoys CSUF very much. " It has
reside
bP.cause of. the rich agricultural
/
a lot of potential for developing an excelcrops.
lent learning environment for Chicanos
in the San Joaquin Valley ." CSUF has
Texas born, lvarra has much teachan excellent program (La Raza Studies)
ing experience behind him . After
to offer to all students, particularily
graduating from the University of WashChicanos . I really encourage students to
ington, he taught af Western Washinggo beyond high school and reach for
ton State College (Bellingham, Washing·
Continued on paae 4
ton) as an assistant professor. lvarra
By EDWARD APARICIO
Ii
'My eventual goal is to
- be ·dean or president
of a university.'
I
A Short Story
Ya Se ChingoJA Ch'tcano Wedding)
by Arturo.- Ocampo
The rythmic slapping of the tortillas on the heated coma/ gave me a feeling of
I remember seeing my tia who was sitting in the second row, her mestiza tears
deja vu. It was good to be back home; being with my fami/ia always seems to break began finding their way down her aged and flushed cheeks. Those were tears that
the,.tedious monotony of school. The scene was an old and familiar one, one I've waited 21 years to be shed, as a sense of pride and a sense of loss cooperated in their
experienced often. All of us men were seated at the dinner table while my jefita and making. My tio, standing silently by, wiped a tear from his eye in the pretense of
taking a particle of dirt out.
tias waited on us. The women's movements were quick as they raced back and forth
Bueno, gas shortage or no gas shortage, we cruised to the hall taking the long way,
from the kitchen to the table. Their preoccupation with the contentment of our
stomachs was almost comical, as though their movements were choreographed
honking and yelling all the way. When we arrived at the hall, we were greeted
by Cantinflas himself.
by the sounds of tmmpets, guitars, and violins creating an array of sounds each
The conversation at the table moved from bragging about old drinking days to
distinctly separate yet coming together as thou.sh wearing a basket , of music. The
bragging about their sons 'achievements. The scene that day was a little different
mariachi played strong and boldly; although of French origin, they were the personthan _
usual, however.
·
ification of the state and people of Ja/isco.
The senses were truly receiving a treat that day. The music entranced the ears,
The air was filled with a vitality and excitement that provoked the
the smell of birria seduced -th~ domain of .the nasal passage, which in turn teased
heart to sing and the teet to dance; in fact, if we weren '( all crudos that day, we
the taste buds, which of course were satisfied in no time at all. The bright colors
probably would have been singing and dancing. The excitement was over the
wedding of my primo which had occurred the day before. It was hard to believe caught the eyes, only to be outdone by the love1y chicanas gordas, chaparras,
that my primo actually got married, and expressing and equal amount of amazement flacas, desmoladas, grenudas, rr,orenas; it didn't matter. / love them all.
was a tio who said, "Pos con ya se chingo el Oscar, come inside." With this a roar
After everyone -was served and seated, the best man made the brindis. After
of laughter filled the dining room as each tio laughed, one after another, as though the cena the dance began, and everyone was hechando char:,clasos to the tune
a row of dominoes were being knocked over. The contagious laughter in their throats of Little Joe y la Familia. I don't know it· it was because all the vatos were shy
was sincerely complimented with the twinkle of champagne in their eyes.
ber:ause most of the girls were sitting next to their mothers, but not too many people
As the musty yet tempting aroma of the tortillas continued to tease my appetite, were dancing at first. Once my tequila started to mysteriously disappear, mor~ and
I began to recall the wedding of the day before. I remembered my primo standing more peo,..:le started to dance,,:que raroverdad. Some of the vatos weren't too suree
~n front of the altar, rangy, cara de indio feo, half happy, half scared, and completely whether ther had to ask the mother of the girl for permission to dance. Yo·u could
mcoherent.
usually tell which girls didn't cpme with the,; parents; if they let you dance close,
And speaking of indios feos, the best man was so nervous trying to get the ring the. parents weren't around, and if the parents were there and you got too close,
to my primo that I thought for a second hfs machismo might drop down to his ankles.
they woufd give the girls a vas-a ..ver-cuando-llegamos-a-la-casa look, hijo si las
Aher the placing of the lasso and the giving of the arras, my primo gave us a,
miradas pudieran ma tar!!
•Pos-yo-creo-que-me-voy-a-casar" look, and he unanimously replied with a •juevo
All in all the wedding was fun. Whatever happened to the small, simple
type of look. The priest gave his final words and the ceremony was over. The bride weddings? Quien sabe. My tios were finishing their meals and were beginning to
and groom turned to each other and gave each other the traditional kiss. They both move towards the living room to sip on some more champagne and speak of the old
walked out of the church with a sonrisa that would have put Jimmy Carter to shame.
·days. As for me, I .had to go write a paper for my La Raza Studies class.
Paae4
February 28, 1988
La Voz De Aztla'n
The Visit
by Maria Anita Torres
I'm sitting here next to you abuelita
I know when I visit you ·
with your hands on mihe
that it hurts me not to cry
and I can feel the warmthness
because another day and soon
of your beauty.
another year has gone by
It is as though you are my sole energy
and I have not been able to tell
of strength, love, and understanding.
you the stories that I hold inside.
I'm sitting here next to you
and I feel as though /' m milefo away
Nor have I been able
/
because now I want to talk to you
to create with you a word
and have you talk to me.
that leads to laughter
Instead I have to sit here wishing.
or one that creates a
Wishing I could speak your language
single tear that we may share.
· If you only knew, how much I
the language that should be mine.
wanted to tell you abuelita,
Abuelita / look into your eyes
'Que tu eres mi corazon.'
and I see nothing but mestizo pride.
I feel the texture of your skin
It is you that I draw my strength from
and it tells me how you've ,,.
and it is you who washes away
won the struggle to survive.
all my fears.
I wish I could tel/you
If I cou!d only say "I love you",
that I know the stori~s of
and know that you understood.
your wrinkles and how
If only abuelita,
that makes me feel inside.
If only someday I could.
'
-
.
Ivarra
Cuba .
ContillNNI from 1»a1e 1
·chiid-care centers available. While more
centers are always needed, women re-·
·ceive an additional help from the
schools. Aides are available from
· 6:00 A.M. until 7-:00 P .M. at many
school sites in order .to accommodate the
needs of working women and their
children.
What about women in Education?
Women can be found in 60% to 70%
of the Cuban teaching positions. In
addition, the head of the Ministry of
Education is a woman.
Statistics are not as encouraging for
younger females.
Approximately
. 3% to 5% of Cuban girls are not allowed
to· study · beyond the primary grades by
theirfamilies. Members of tbe schools,
the Cuban Federation of Women, and
other groups go to visit the families.
The problem is _that girls who are not
encouraged to continue their education
usually marry early and soon thereaftc:r
become mothers.
While there are still several obstacles which Cyban women have yet to
overcome, they have sti II made many
· advances towar<t. bettering their lives.
The key to this success seems to be the
ability of the women to organize in order
to elevate Cuban women to the position
of first-class citizens.
Continued ~rom pa1e 3
whatever education has to offer. Education is one of the means that will be
able to change conditions that have
hampered us in trying to achieve our
goals."
Though, having enjoyed his time here
in California, he plans to return to Washington.
"Washington is beautiful,"
lvarra stated, "I plan to go back and pick
up where I left off. There are not quite
-as many Chicanos up there as there
are here, but enough where something
must be done."
·
Wherever lvarra goes he will continue
making notable impressions. He is a
man quickly on his way up and who will
attain all his szoals.
r
CHICANOS IN AW PLANS .
CAREER DAY
The Chicanos in law organization will
be sponsoring a law Day March 12· at
CSUF. Time and location will be announced in a later issue.
Recruiters from various law schools
will be present with information on their
respective schools.
A general orientation will also be
offered · with three workshops in the
areas of pre-law curriculum, preparation
for the L.S.A.T. exam and females in
law.
The workshops are open to everyone
and anyone needing more information
can contact Esther ~rtinez at 48r-1021.
Cheap
Labor
Continued from page 1
Mexicans would not affect current wages
and working conditions.
Opposition to the bills is led by the
United Farm Workers Union. Accordi'I
to a UFW spokesperson, one of the
biggest advantages to the grower wm
that trade unions were successfully
blocked through the bracero. · The
bracero proved to be a most effectiw
weapon in turning back unionization
during the 1940's. Domestic laborers
were forced to yield on wages, forced
to abandon the fields, and left to reckon
. alone with agricu_ltural corporations.
Although both bills are still in draft
and discussions are still going on 1D
. bring both pieces of legislation on II
the tloor tor a vote, it is likely the
bills ·will be merged.
Both bills are headed for the same
results according to a spokesperson for
Mr. Pashayan 's office. When the final
draft of the ·bill comes to the floor for
vote it will likely become' a very hot
and debated issue for both the growers
and th~ir opponents.
/
LA VOZ de AZTLAN
February 28, 1980
Thursday
Photo trom movie "Alambr1sta."
Mexican Workers: Cheap Labor?
By PETE RAMIREZ
Are Mexican workers really needed in
our agricultural industry to harvest our
aops or is it just a means to make it legal
to use cheap labor?
This question is . just one of many
brought up by the introduction of two
bills in legslation. One bill is being introdaced by Congressman Chip Pashayan
and the.other by Sen~tor S. I. Hayakawa.
Opponents to the bills argue that it is .
iust a way to bring back the Bracero Pro-
Despite the variety of jobs braceros
were employed in, groweres continually
stressed that Mexicans were obtained
only to do the hard stoop labor that white
Americans and domestics would not
accept. Intended just to be supplementary workers, braceros showed a tendency to outnumber domestics in certain
areas and in various jobs outside of agriculture.
well as to reduce the flow of "illegal"
immigrants.
The second bill is sponsored by local
representative, Chip Pashayan. His bill
is entitled the "Guest Worker Program
Act of 1979." The bill is more regulated
in that it includes fair-treatment guidelines for Mexican workers, including
safe and sanitary ho~sing.
A provision of the bill includes the
issuance of "'tamperproof" identification
cards to be shown to prospective
employers as proof of their "legal"
eligibility to work in the United States.
The Labor Department would have to
certify that domestic workers were not
available and that employment of
Continued on page 4
.Cuban Women Attain
First Class Status
The program was to have ended after
the war, ;but ·braceros were still being
1ram.
used until the agreement between
The bracero program was begun ·in Mexico and the United States ended
response to the labor shortage of World in December of 1964. With the termina- .
War 11. Crowers needed manpower tion of the program it was thought
to pick their crops and they turned to never to be necessary again until recently, when two bills were introduced Editor's Note:
Mexico to solve their problem.
Last week's is~e
Crowers and agencies of the federal in an attempt to -revive the bracero · featured Dr. Lea Ybarra-Soriano 's
program proposed that planned migra- program.
trip to Cuba in December. This week La
The first bill was, introduced by Sen- · Voz-. De Aztlan staff writer, Angele
tion would provide orderly recruitment
and alleviate the problem. Minimum ator S. I. Hayakawa on June 28; 1979. Belton, focuses in on women in Cuba .
wage standards could be set, · public Entitled the "United States-Mexico Next week she will focus on education in
Good Neighbor Act of 1979." The bill's Cuba.
funds could be spent in initiating and
purpose it fill . the many .short-term
maintaining the program.
Federal
. At one time women in Cuba were
subsidies helped to minimize costs. The economic needs of Mexicans and short- considered second or third-ciass citi~
main provision was that workers could term labor needs of _American agricul- zens . ~ucn 1s no longer the case. Today
be sent home when they were no longer tural and service industries by a tem- 95 % of all Cuban women are members
porary worker visa program.
· of the Cuban Federation of Women .
needed.
Mr. Hayakawa insists that it is neces- The organization is active at the block
, Almost from the beginning the
braceros were exploited and the program sary to establish a legal farmworker/ level, the municipal level, and the nawas misused although the braceros · for Mexican labor in the United States tional level. Because of the . strength
were received with eagerness.
in order to harmonize the_use of such
of this group, progress has been made.
Although, originally braceros were workers and to prevent the abuse of Men and women are now receiving equal
recruited for agriculture, they were them by smugglers. Others Teasons for education at most levels . When a factory
found to be advantageous in almost his bill is to better protect American or other business establishment is built,·
every other kind_ of job to be found. workers from unfair competition, as women receive a fair proportion of the
jobs. While women can be housewives,
they are now encouraged to join the work
force :-
The Family Code established by the
Federation has had a big impact on family life. Before, men would -only help
with the housework when their peers
were out of sight. Now, men are openly
sharing the 'fiousehofd and child-care
respons;bilities, particularly when both
husband and wife work.
Moreover, household activities and
child care have been lessened for women
in a variety of ways. If women wish,
they may leave their shopping _list at
their local grocery store and pick up
their groceries, already bagged and
ready· to go, on their way home. Cu.ban
women can also benefit from the manv
Continued on pa1e 4
•
.-'~ Voz De Aztla_n
Pagel
'No On 9' Being Formed
On Campus
With tentative plans being made on
Other effects would be a possible
how to deal with the · effects of the faculty cut-back, as well as the closing
Jarvis II initiative on the CSUF campus, of · the smaller departments on campus.
a club has been formed to help defeat Tuition costs may lower the already
the proposition in the upcoming June decreasing enrollment IPvels in the
CSUC system . A possible long range
primary.
The club, *Campus no on 9* effect of Proposition 9 would be the
was formed to help educate faculty, stu- closinat of campuses across the state.
dents, and community members on the
With this in mind, *Campus No On 9"
depressing. effects the jarvis initiativ:e,
will
try to make people aware of the
or Proposition 9, will have on the
C.S.U.C. (California State Universities danger if the initi~tive is passed.
and Colleges) system and it's campuses
Everyone who is interested in helping
of which Cal State Fresno is a member
defeat the proposition, is encouraged
of.
Proposition 9, if passed, wfll eli- to attend a *Campus no on 9" meeting
minate 50% of the personal income to be held this Wednesday, February 27
tax, which would mean the state will at noon in the College Union, rm. 309.
lose an estimated $4.9 billion. The revenue loss to the C.S.U.C.system will be
The committee will sponsor a voter
approximately $200 million from the
registration drive, fund raisers, and a
state.
educational literature on Prop. 9
The effects on the CSUF campus will
If you have any question regarding
be tuition being set at $480 a semester.
According to Ken Seib, chairman of Prop. 9 and the "Campus no on 9" or, the C.S .U. , Fresno United Professors ganization, please contact Dave Ditora
of California, for every $100. increase at 487-2657 /CU rm. 306 or Ken Seib
at 487-2009 / SR 4 rm. 209
in cost, 3% of .the students
will be lost.
. .
Chicanas Receive Low Pay
Finally, 17.2 percent of all MexicanAmer!can families were headed by
women. Of those female household
heads who worked at any time during
1975, 60.3 percent had earnings below
the poverty level. ,
·
In 1975, about 71 percent of Chicanas
~arned_.'ess than SS ,000 a year, accordmR to Profile of the Chicana: A Statis-
tical Fact Sheet,* MALDEF, 1978. Low
paying, low skilled jobs contribute to
their low annual income of $2,925.
Chicanas complete an average of 10
years of school, about two years less
than women in the population at large.
Eighteen percent have completed less
than five years of school: Only 24 per- .
cent completed high school; and of those
25 years or older, only 3.2 percent are
college graduates.'
·
ELECTIONS FOR 1980 -81
A.S.B.- C.U. OFFICERS MARCH 18,19,20
BE HEARD!
POSITIONS .OPEN ARE A SENATE POSITION,
SENATOR AT LARGE OR
FOR A COLLEGE UNION POSITION
PETITIONS AR~ AVAILABLE FEBRUARY 25 - 29
IN JOYAL ADMINISTRATION ROQM ·224
PETITION DEADLINE IS F~~RUARY 29
.
February 28, 1911
DOUBLE STANDARDS
?
•
By YOLANDA SOTO
by faculty and some students from the
Lately MEChA has tried to hold fund- dorms, but there was no time for
raiser dances in the residence cafeteria
reaction."
Lilly Espinoza, MEChA
and has run into unnecessary obstacles
member replied, "I did follow the rules
such as, issues involving the manda- but still I was told the day before the
tory purchase of punch and cookies in
occasion that there would be no back-toorder to use facilities which were no school dance according to Marshal , an
longer mandatory, and the late notice of assistant of Finlev."
•mandatory security.
Lea Ybarra-Soriano brought the point
up that the students pay fees for campus
These issues were raised in a meeting
held last Thursday with Bill Corcoran,
facilities, such as the residence cafeteria
Dean of Student's Affairs and Rick and they shouldn~t be denied the use of
Finley, Head of Food Services, concern- these facilities, especially in such short
ing the problems student organizations
notice, as the day before.
Manuel Perez, a staff representative
have had to face in order to have a
dance. Others who attended the meet- felt, *In order to help the problem the
ing were faculty Lea Ybarra-Soriano, Ad Hoc.Committee needs more feedback
Manuel Perez and Ernesto Martinez.
from groups on campus, students who
have gone through the hassels . w In
Students concerned with the problem
attended as ME Ch A representatives. response Corcoran asked Lilly Espinoza
During the meeting Ernesto Martinez and Sylvia Rodriguez, two well involved
raised the question, "Why are different students, to join the Ad Hoc Committee
obstacles raised and no guidelines set in order to get more feedback from
to follow?"
In answer to Martinez' diverse groups.
question Bill Corcoran· replied, "There
Some Chicano students and faculty
fare guidelines , they were put together feel this problem is connected to racism
very quickly a couple of months ago
because of past experiences in dealing
by the Ad Hoc Committee represented with similar situations.
They hope
to remedy the situation by more Chicano
input in the Ad Hoc Committee.
Cartas
Dear Editor:
I would like to take this opportunity
to encourage students to take advantage
of the free services offered by the
P.A.S.S program established on campus
last semester.
The intent of the P.A.S.S. program is
to provide an opportunity for students
to improve their reading skills, English
language proficiency and basic. problemsolving techniques in math and science.
The program also offers assistance to
new students on the CSUF campus
who feel lost and need help adjusting
to college life
The P.A.S.S. staff are sensitive to
the needs of the college student and are
well qualified to handle student related
problems~ we're here to help! Don ' t
wait until it's too late - get help for
your studies now. Stop by our office
in the Joyal Administration Building,
Room 240 or call us at 487-1238.
Pat Aguirre
Director/PASS Service
La Voz Staff
Editor .......... Margarita
M.
Martfnez
Reporters ...... ...... Edward G. Aparicio
Angele Belton
Eli Carda
Dora Lara
Pete Ramirez
Yolanda Soto
Cartoonist. .................... Carlos
Ostos
Art Work ................. Arturo Ocampo
l uan Hernandez
Photo Editor ................. Lupe Mora
.
Luis Vasquez
February 28, 1980
Pagel
La Voz De Aztlln
Francisco Ivarra, . Climbing The
Ladder _O f Success
then went on to Skagit Valley Community College in Washingtonwhere he was
dfrector of the Title 7, bilingual biAt first glance, he gives one a feeling cultural project and director of Mexican
of warmth and comfort, yet he com- American studies. "I am very committed
mands one's respect.
Francisco
to the education profession,~ lvarra
lvarra professor in the School of Social stated.
Work and oart-time La Raza Studies
With lvarra 's large education backinstructor is well recognized at Califor- ground, he has his own ideas of the
nia State University, t-resno despite his profession. "The concept of teaching in
brief tenure . His list of accomplish- a classroom through diverse learning
ments seems endless.
environment that exists because of the
~eteor~enous of people in this country
A graduate of the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington, Francisco rs very important."
After leaving the State of Washington,
lvarra has attained his masters and B.A.
in sociology and anthropology and a lvarra taught at Bowling Green UniversPhd in social science. While in atten- ity in Ohio where he developed the Chidance, lvarra was instructed by Vine cano culture. He then taught at another
Deloria Jr., author of "Custer Died For midwest (Michigan) University. While
Your Sins/ and many other well known traveling in search of a better awareness
Native American books. Another wel I in culture and education lvarra is quite
knowledgeable in many aspects of the
known-'protessor which lvarra was
education
field. "I feel I have a well
impressed with was Dr. Sergio Elizondo,
rounded education, thus able to teach in
a well known Chicano poet.
He was involved in many school activ- many areas."
ities, also having been elected president
In 1975, lvarra was one out of 300
of MEChiA . During the 60's, lvarra was Chicanos to receive the Health Eduvery involved in the moviemiento
cation and Welfare Fellowship Award .
particularily in the Yakima Valley, where
Having been at CSUF a few years,
the largest concentration of Chicanos
lvarra enjoys CSUF very much. " It has
reside
bP.cause of. the rich agricultural
/
a lot of potential for developing an excelcrops.
lent learning environment for Chicanos
in the San Joaquin Valley ." CSUF has
Texas born, lvarra has much teachan excellent program (La Raza Studies)
ing experience behind him . After
to offer to all students, particularily
graduating from the University of WashChicanos . I really encourage students to
ington, he taught af Western Washinggo beyond high school and reach for
ton State College (Bellingham, Washing·
Continued on paae 4
ton) as an assistant professor. lvarra
By EDWARD APARICIO
Ii
'My eventual goal is to
- be ·dean or president
of a university.'
I
A Short Story
Ya Se ChingoJA Ch'tcano Wedding)
by Arturo.- Ocampo
The rythmic slapping of the tortillas on the heated coma/ gave me a feeling of
I remember seeing my tia who was sitting in the second row, her mestiza tears
deja vu. It was good to be back home; being with my fami/ia always seems to break began finding their way down her aged and flushed cheeks. Those were tears that
the,.tedious monotony of school. The scene was an old and familiar one, one I've waited 21 years to be shed, as a sense of pride and a sense of loss cooperated in their
experienced often. All of us men were seated at the dinner table while my jefita and making. My tio, standing silently by, wiped a tear from his eye in the pretense of
taking a particle of dirt out.
tias waited on us. The women's movements were quick as they raced back and forth
Bueno, gas shortage or no gas shortage, we cruised to the hall taking the long way,
from the kitchen to the table. Their preoccupation with the contentment of our
stomachs was almost comical, as though their movements were choreographed
honking and yelling all the way. When we arrived at the hall, we were greeted
by Cantinflas himself.
by the sounds of tmmpets, guitars, and violins creating an array of sounds each
The conversation at the table moved from bragging about old drinking days to
distinctly separate yet coming together as thou.sh wearing a basket , of music. The
bragging about their sons 'achievements. The scene that day was a little different
mariachi played strong and boldly; although of French origin, they were the personthan _
usual, however.
·
ification of the state and people of Ja/isco.
The senses were truly receiving a treat that day. The music entranced the ears,
The air was filled with a vitality and excitement that provoked the
the smell of birria seduced -th~ domain of .the nasal passage, which in turn teased
heart to sing and the teet to dance; in fact, if we weren '( all crudos that day, we
the taste buds, which of course were satisfied in no time at all. The bright colors
probably would have been singing and dancing. The excitement was over the
wedding of my primo which had occurred the day before. It was hard to believe caught the eyes, only to be outdone by the love1y chicanas gordas, chaparras,
that my primo actually got married, and expressing and equal amount of amazement flacas, desmoladas, grenudas, rr,orenas; it didn't matter. / love them all.
was a tio who said, "Pos con ya se chingo el Oscar, come inside." With this a roar
After everyone -was served and seated, the best man made the brindis. After
of laughter filled the dining room as each tio laughed, one after another, as though the cena the dance began, and everyone was hechando char:,clasos to the tune
a row of dominoes were being knocked over. The contagious laughter in their throats of Little Joe y la Familia. I don't know it· it was because all the vatos were shy
was sincerely complimented with the twinkle of champagne in their eyes.
ber:ause most of the girls were sitting next to their mothers, but not too many people
As the musty yet tempting aroma of the tortillas continued to tease my appetite, were dancing at first. Once my tequila started to mysteriously disappear, mor~ and
I began to recall the wedding of the day before. I remembered my primo standing more peo,..:le started to dance,,:que raroverdad. Some of the vatos weren't too suree
~n front of the altar, rangy, cara de indio feo, half happy, half scared, and completely whether ther had to ask the mother of the girl for permission to dance. Yo·u could
mcoherent.
usually tell which girls didn't cpme with the,; parents; if they let you dance close,
And speaking of indios feos, the best man was so nervous trying to get the ring the. parents weren't around, and if the parents were there and you got too close,
to my primo that I thought for a second hfs machismo might drop down to his ankles.
they woufd give the girls a vas-a ..ver-cuando-llegamos-a-la-casa look, hijo si las
Aher the placing of the lasso and the giving of the arras, my primo gave us a,
miradas pudieran ma tar!!
•Pos-yo-creo-que-me-voy-a-casar" look, and he unanimously replied with a •juevo
All in all the wedding was fun. Whatever happened to the small, simple
type of look. The priest gave his final words and the ceremony was over. The bride weddings? Quien sabe. My tios were finishing their meals and were beginning to
and groom turned to each other and gave each other the traditional kiss. They both move towards the living room to sip on some more champagne and speak of the old
walked out of the church with a sonrisa that would have put Jimmy Carter to shame.
·days. As for me, I .had to go write a paper for my La Raza Studies class.
Paae4
February 28, 1988
La Voz De Aztla'n
The Visit
by Maria Anita Torres
I'm sitting here next to you abuelita
I know when I visit you ·
with your hands on mihe
that it hurts me not to cry
and I can feel the warmthness
because another day and soon
of your beauty.
another year has gone by
It is as though you are my sole energy
and I have not been able to tell
of strength, love, and understanding.
you the stories that I hold inside.
I'm sitting here next to you
and I feel as though /' m milefo away
Nor have I been able
/
because now I want to talk to you
to create with you a word
and have you talk to me.
that leads to laughter
Instead I have to sit here wishing.
or one that creates a
Wishing I could speak your language
single tear that we may share.
· If you only knew, how much I
the language that should be mine.
wanted to tell you abuelita,
Abuelita / look into your eyes
'Que tu eres mi corazon.'
and I see nothing but mestizo pride.
I feel the texture of your skin
It is you that I draw my strength from
and it tells me how you've ,,.
and it is you who washes away
won the struggle to survive.
all my fears.
I wish I could tel/you
If I cou!d only say "I love you",
that I know the stori~s of
and know that you understood.
your wrinkles and how
If only abuelita,
that makes me feel inside.
If only someday I could.
'
-
.
Ivarra
Cuba .
ContillNNI from 1»a1e 1
·chiid-care centers available. While more
centers are always needed, women re-·
·ceive an additional help from the
schools. Aides are available from
· 6:00 A.M. until 7-:00 P .M. at many
school sites in order .to accommodate the
needs of working women and their
children.
What about women in Education?
Women can be found in 60% to 70%
of the Cuban teaching positions. In
addition, the head of the Ministry of
Education is a woman.
Statistics are not as encouraging for
younger females.
Approximately
. 3% to 5% of Cuban girls are not allowed
to· study · beyond the primary grades by
theirfamilies. Members of tbe schools,
the Cuban Federation of Women, and
other groups go to visit the families.
The problem is _that girls who are not
encouraged to continue their education
usually marry early and soon thereaftc:r
become mothers.
While there are still several obstacles which Cyban women have yet to
overcome, they have sti II made many
· advances towar<t. bettering their lives.
The key to this success seems to be the
ability of the women to organize in order
to elevate Cuban women to the position
of first-class citizens.
Continued ~rom pa1e 3
whatever education has to offer. Education is one of the means that will be
able to change conditions that have
hampered us in trying to achieve our
goals."
Though, having enjoyed his time here
in California, he plans to return to Washington.
"Washington is beautiful,"
lvarra stated, "I plan to go back and pick
up where I left off. There are not quite
-as many Chicanos up there as there
are here, but enough where something
must be done."
·
Wherever lvarra goes he will continue
making notable impressions. He is a
man quickly on his way up and who will
attain all his szoals.
r
CHICANOS IN AW PLANS .
CAREER DAY
The Chicanos in law organization will
be sponsoring a law Day March 12· at
CSUF. Time and location will be announced in a later issue.
Recruiters from various law schools
will be present with information on their
respective schools.
A general orientation will also be
offered · with three workshops in the
areas of pre-law curriculum, preparation
for the L.S.A.T. exam and females in
law.
The workshops are open to everyone
and anyone needing more information
can contact Esther ~rtinez at 48r-1021.
Cheap
Labor
Continued from page 1
Mexicans would not affect current wages
and working conditions.
Opposition to the bills is led by the
United Farm Workers Union. Accordi'I
to a UFW spokesperson, one of the
biggest advantages to the grower wm
that trade unions were successfully
blocked through the bracero. · The
bracero proved to be a most effectiw
weapon in turning back unionization
during the 1940's. Domestic laborers
were forced to yield on wages, forced
to abandon the fields, and left to reckon
. alone with agricu_ltural corporations.
Although both bills are still in draft
and discussions are still going on 1D
. bring both pieces of legislation on II
the tloor tor a vote, it is likely the
bills ·will be merged.
Both bills are headed for the same
results according to a spokesperson for
Mr. Pashayan 's office. When the final
draft of the ·bill comes to the floor for
vote it will likely become' a very hot
and debated issue for both the growers
and th~ir opponents.
California State University , Fresno
/
LA VOZ de AZTLAN
February 28, 1980
Thursday
Photo trom movie "Alambr1sta."
Mexican Workers: Cheap Labor?
By PETE RAMIREZ
Are Mexican workers really needed in
our agricultural industry to harvest our
aops or is it just a means to make it legal
to use cheap labor?
This question is . just one of many
brought up by the introduction of two
bills in legslation. One bill is being introdaced by Congressman Chip Pashayan
and the.other by Sen~tor S. I. Hayakawa.
Opponents to the bills argue that it is .
iust a way to bring back the Bracero Pro-
Despite the variety of jobs braceros
were employed in, groweres continually
stressed that Mexicans were obtained
only to do the hard stoop labor that white
Americans and domestics would not
accept. Intended just to be supplementary workers, braceros showed a tendency to outnumber domestics in certain
areas and in various jobs outside of agriculture.
well as to reduce the flow of "illegal"
immigrants.
The second bill is sponsored by local
representative, Chip Pashayan. His bill
is entitled the "Guest Worker Program
Act of 1979." The bill is more regulated
in that it includes fair-treatment guidelines for Mexican workers, including
safe and sanitary ho~sing.
A provision of the bill includes the
issuance of "'tamperproof" identification
cards to be shown to prospective
employers as proof of their "legal"
eligibility to work in the United States.
The Labor Department would have to
certify that domestic workers were not
available and that employment of
Continued on page 4
.Cuban Women Attain
First Class Status
The program was to have ended after
the war, ;but ·braceros were still being
1ram.
used until the agreement between
The bracero program was begun ·in Mexico and the United States ended
response to the labor shortage of World in December of 1964. With the termina- .
War 11. Crowers needed manpower tion of the program it was thought
to pick their crops and they turned to never to be necessary again until recently, when two bills were introduced Editor's Note:
Mexico to solve their problem.
Last week's is~e
Crowers and agencies of the federal in an attempt to -revive the bracero · featured Dr. Lea Ybarra-Soriano 's
program proposed that planned migra- program.
trip to Cuba in December. This week La
The first bill was, introduced by Sen- · Voz-. De Aztlan staff writer, Angele
tion would provide orderly recruitment
and alleviate the problem. Minimum ator S. I. Hayakawa on June 28; 1979. Belton, focuses in on women in Cuba .
wage standards could be set, · public Entitled the "United States-Mexico Next week she will focus on education in
Good Neighbor Act of 1979." The bill's Cuba.
funds could be spent in initiating and
purpose it fill . the many .short-term
maintaining the program.
Federal
. At one time women in Cuba were
subsidies helped to minimize costs. The economic needs of Mexicans and short- considered second or third-ciass citi~
main provision was that workers could term labor needs of _American agricul- zens . ~ucn 1s no longer the case. Today
be sent home when they were no longer tural and service industries by a tem- 95 % of all Cuban women are members
porary worker visa program.
· of the Cuban Federation of Women .
needed.
Mr. Hayakawa insists that it is neces- The organization is active at the block
, Almost from the beginning the
braceros were exploited and the program sary to establish a legal farmworker/ level, the municipal level, and the nawas misused although the braceros · for Mexican labor in the United States tional level. Because of the . strength
were received with eagerness.
in order to harmonize the_use of such
of this group, progress has been made.
Although, originally braceros were workers and to prevent the abuse of Men and women are now receiving equal
recruited for agriculture, they were them by smugglers. Others Teasons for education at most levels . When a factory
found to be advantageous in almost his bill is to better protect American or other business establishment is built,·
every other kind_ of job to be found. workers from unfair competition, as women receive a fair proportion of the
jobs. While women can be housewives,
they are now encouraged to join the work
force :-
The Family Code established by the
Federation has had a big impact on family life. Before, men would -only help
with the housework when their peers
were out of sight. Now, men are openly
sharing the 'fiousehofd and child-care
respons;bilities, particularly when both
husband and wife work.
Moreover, household activities and
child care have been lessened for women
in a variety of ways. If women wish,
they may leave their shopping _list at
their local grocery store and pick up
their groceries, already bagged and
ready· to go, on their way home. Cu.ban
women can also benefit from the manv
Continued on pa1e 4
•
.-'~ Voz De Aztla_n
Pagel
'No On 9' Being Formed
On Campus
With tentative plans being made on
Other effects would be a possible
how to deal with the · effects of the faculty cut-back, as well as the closing
Jarvis II initiative on the CSUF campus, of · the smaller departments on campus.
a club has been formed to help defeat Tuition costs may lower the already
the proposition in the upcoming June decreasing enrollment IPvels in the
CSUC system . A possible long range
primary.
The club, *Campus no on 9* effect of Proposition 9 would be the
was formed to help educate faculty, stu- closinat of campuses across the state.
dents, and community members on the
With this in mind, *Campus No On 9"
depressing. effects the jarvis initiativ:e,
will
try to make people aware of the
or Proposition 9, will have on the
C.S.U.C. (California State Universities danger if the initi~tive is passed.
and Colleges) system and it's campuses
Everyone who is interested in helping
of which Cal State Fresno is a member
defeat the proposition, is encouraged
of.
Proposition 9, if passed, wfll eli- to attend a *Campus no on 9" meeting
minate 50% of the personal income to be held this Wednesday, February 27
tax, which would mean the state will at noon in the College Union, rm. 309.
lose an estimated $4.9 billion. The revenue loss to the C.S.U.C.system will be
The committee will sponsor a voter
approximately $200 million from the
registration drive, fund raisers, and a
state.
educational literature on Prop. 9
The effects on the CSUF campus will
If you have any question regarding
be tuition being set at $480 a semester.
According to Ken Seib, chairman of Prop. 9 and the "Campus no on 9" or, the C.S .U. , Fresno United Professors ganization, please contact Dave Ditora
of California, for every $100. increase at 487-2657 /CU rm. 306 or Ken Seib
at 487-2009 / SR 4 rm. 209
in cost, 3% of .the students
will be lost.
. .
Chicanas Receive Low Pay
Finally, 17.2 percent of all MexicanAmer!can families were headed by
women. Of those female household
heads who worked at any time during
1975, 60.3 percent had earnings below
the poverty level. ,
·
In 1975, about 71 percent of Chicanas
~arned_.'ess than SS ,000 a year, accordmR to Profile of the Chicana: A Statis-
tical Fact Sheet,* MALDEF, 1978. Low
paying, low skilled jobs contribute to
their low annual income of $2,925.
Chicanas complete an average of 10
years of school, about two years less
than women in the population at large.
Eighteen percent have completed less
than five years of school: Only 24 per- .
cent completed high school; and of those
25 years or older, only 3.2 percent are
college graduates.'
·
ELECTIONS FOR 1980 -81
A.S.B.- C.U. OFFICERS MARCH 18,19,20
BE HEARD!
POSITIONS .OPEN ARE A SENATE POSITION,
SENATOR AT LARGE OR
FOR A COLLEGE UNION POSITION
PETITIONS AR~ AVAILABLE FEBRUARY 25 - 29
IN JOYAL ADMINISTRATION ROQM ·224
PETITION DEADLINE IS F~~RUARY 29
.
February 28, 1911
DOUBLE STANDARDS
?
•
By YOLANDA SOTO
by faculty and some students from the
Lately MEChA has tried to hold fund- dorms, but there was no time for
raiser dances in the residence cafeteria
reaction."
Lilly Espinoza, MEChA
and has run into unnecessary obstacles
member replied, "I did follow the rules
such as, issues involving the manda- but still I was told the day before the
tory purchase of punch and cookies in
occasion that there would be no back-toorder to use facilities which were no school dance according to Marshal , an
longer mandatory, and the late notice of assistant of Finlev."
•mandatory security.
Lea Ybarra-Soriano brought the point
up that the students pay fees for campus
These issues were raised in a meeting
held last Thursday with Bill Corcoran,
facilities, such as the residence cafeteria
Dean of Student's Affairs and Rick and they shouldn~t be denied the use of
Finley, Head of Food Services, concern- these facilities, especially in such short
ing the problems student organizations
notice, as the day before.
Manuel Perez, a staff representative
have had to face in order to have a
dance. Others who attended the meet- felt, *In order to help the problem the
ing were faculty Lea Ybarra-Soriano, Ad Hoc.Committee needs more feedback
Manuel Perez and Ernesto Martinez.
from groups on campus, students who
have gone through the hassels . w In
Students concerned with the problem
attended as ME Ch A representatives. response Corcoran asked Lilly Espinoza
During the meeting Ernesto Martinez and Sylvia Rodriguez, two well involved
raised the question, "Why are different students, to join the Ad Hoc Committee
obstacles raised and no guidelines set in order to get more feedback from
to follow?"
In answer to Martinez' diverse groups.
question Bill Corcoran· replied, "There
Some Chicano students and faculty
fare guidelines , they were put together feel this problem is connected to racism
very quickly a couple of months ago
because of past experiences in dealing
by the Ad Hoc Committee represented with similar situations.
They hope
to remedy the situation by more Chicano
input in the Ad Hoc Committee.
Cartas
Dear Editor:
I would like to take this opportunity
to encourage students to take advantage
of the free services offered by the
P.A.S.S program established on campus
last semester.
The intent of the P.A.S.S. program is
to provide an opportunity for students
to improve their reading skills, English
language proficiency and basic. problemsolving techniques in math and science.
The program also offers assistance to
new students on the CSUF campus
who feel lost and need help adjusting
to college life
The P.A.S.S. staff are sensitive to
the needs of the college student and are
well qualified to handle student related
problems~ we're here to help! Don ' t
wait until it's too late - get help for
your studies now. Stop by our office
in the Joyal Administration Building,
Room 240 or call us at 487-1238.
Pat Aguirre
Director/PASS Service
La Voz Staff
Editor .......... Margarita
M.
Martfnez
Reporters ...... ...... Edward G. Aparicio
Angele Belton
Eli Carda
Dora Lara
Pete Ramirez
Yolanda Soto
Cartoonist. .................... Carlos
Ostos
Art Work ................. Arturo Ocampo
l uan Hernandez
Photo Editor ................. Lupe Mora
.
Luis Vasquez
February 28, 1980
Pagel
La Voz De Aztlln
Francisco Ivarra, . Climbing The
Ladder _O f Success
then went on to Skagit Valley Community College in Washingtonwhere he was
dfrector of the Title 7, bilingual biAt first glance, he gives one a feeling cultural project and director of Mexican
of warmth and comfort, yet he com- American studies. "I am very committed
mands one's respect.
Francisco
to the education profession,~ lvarra
lvarra professor in the School of Social stated.
Work and oart-time La Raza Studies
With lvarra 's large education backinstructor is well recognized at Califor- ground, he has his own ideas of the
nia State University, t-resno despite his profession. "The concept of teaching in
brief tenure . His list of accomplish- a classroom through diverse learning
ments seems endless.
environment that exists because of the
~eteor~enous of people in this country
A graduate of the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington, Francisco rs very important."
After leaving the State of Washington,
lvarra has attained his masters and B.A.
in sociology and anthropology and a lvarra taught at Bowling Green UniversPhd in social science. While in atten- ity in Ohio where he developed the Chidance, lvarra was instructed by Vine cano culture. He then taught at another
Deloria Jr., author of "Custer Died For midwest (Michigan) University. While
Your Sins/ and many other well known traveling in search of a better awareness
Native American books. Another wel I in culture and education lvarra is quite
knowledgeable in many aspects of the
known-'protessor which lvarra was
education
field. "I feel I have a well
impressed with was Dr. Sergio Elizondo,
rounded education, thus able to teach in
a well known Chicano poet.
He was involved in many school activ- many areas."
ities, also having been elected president
In 1975, lvarra was one out of 300
of MEChiA . During the 60's, lvarra was Chicanos to receive the Health Eduvery involved in the moviemiento
cation and Welfare Fellowship Award .
particularily in the Yakima Valley, where
Having been at CSUF a few years,
the largest concentration of Chicanos
lvarra enjoys CSUF very much. " It has
reside
bP.cause of. the rich agricultural
/
a lot of potential for developing an excelcrops.
lent learning environment for Chicanos
in the San Joaquin Valley ." CSUF has
Texas born, lvarra has much teachan excellent program (La Raza Studies)
ing experience behind him . After
to offer to all students, particularily
graduating from the University of WashChicanos . I really encourage students to
ington, he taught af Western Washinggo beyond high school and reach for
ton State College (Bellingham, Washing·
Continued on paae 4
ton) as an assistant professor. lvarra
By EDWARD APARICIO
Ii
'My eventual goal is to
- be ·dean or president
of a university.'
I
A Short Story
Ya Se ChingoJA Ch'tcano Wedding)
by Arturo.- Ocampo
The rythmic slapping of the tortillas on the heated coma/ gave me a feeling of
I remember seeing my tia who was sitting in the second row, her mestiza tears
deja vu. It was good to be back home; being with my fami/ia always seems to break began finding their way down her aged and flushed cheeks. Those were tears that
the,.tedious monotony of school. The scene was an old and familiar one, one I've waited 21 years to be shed, as a sense of pride and a sense of loss cooperated in their
experienced often. All of us men were seated at the dinner table while my jefita and making. My tio, standing silently by, wiped a tear from his eye in the pretense of
taking a particle of dirt out.
tias waited on us. The women's movements were quick as they raced back and forth
Bueno, gas shortage or no gas shortage, we cruised to the hall taking the long way,
from the kitchen to the table. Their preoccupation with the contentment of our
stomachs was almost comical, as though their movements were choreographed
honking and yelling all the way. When we arrived at the hall, we were greeted
by Cantinflas himself.
by the sounds of tmmpets, guitars, and violins creating an array of sounds each
The conversation at the table moved from bragging about old drinking days to
distinctly separate yet coming together as thou.sh wearing a basket , of music. The
bragging about their sons 'achievements. The scene that day was a little different
mariachi played strong and boldly; although of French origin, they were the personthan _
usual, however.
·
ification of the state and people of Ja/isco.
The senses were truly receiving a treat that day. The music entranced the ears,
The air was filled with a vitality and excitement that provoked the
the smell of birria seduced -th~ domain of .the nasal passage, which in turn teased
heart to sing and the teet to dance; in fact, if we weren '( all crudos that day, we
the taste buds, which of course were satisfied in no time at all. The bright colors
probably would have been singing and dancing. The excitement was over the
wedding of my primo which had occurred the day before. It was hard to believe caught the eyes, only to be outdone by the love1y chicanas gordas, chaparras,
that my primo actually got married, and expressing and equal amount of amazement flacas, desmoladas, grenudas, rr,orenas; it didn't matter. / love them all.
was a tio who said, "Pos con ya se chingo el Oscar, come inside." With this a roar
After everyone -was served and seated, the best man made the brindis. After
of laughter filled the dining room as each tio laughed, one after another, as though the cena the dance began, and everyone was hechando char:,clasos to the tune
a row of dominoes were being knocked over. The contagious laughter in their throats of Little Joe y la Familia. I don't know it· it was because all the vatos were shy
was sincerely complimented with the twinkle of champagne in their eyes.
ber:ause most of the girls were sitting next to their mothers, but not too many people
As the musty yet tempting aroma of the tortillas continued to tease my appetite, were dancing at first. Once my tequila started to mysteriously disappear, mor~ and
I began to recall the wedding of the day before. I remembered my primo standing more peo,..:le started to dance,,:que raroverdad. Some of the vatos weren't too suree
~n front of the altar, rangy, cara de indio feo, half happy, half scared, and completely whether ther had to ask the mother of the girl for permission to dance. Yo·u could
mcoherent.
usually tell which girls didn't cpme with the,; parents; if they let you dance close,
And speaking of indios feos, the best man was so nervous trying to get the ring the. parents weren't around, and if the parents were there and you got too close,
to my primo that I thought for a second hfs machismo might drop down to his ankles.
they woufd give the girls a vas-a ..ver-cuando-llegamos-a-la-casa look, hijo si las
Aher the placing of the lasso and the giving of the arras, my primo gave us a,
miradas pudieran ma tar!!
•Pos-yo-creo-que-me-voy-a-casar" look, and he unanimously replied with a •juevo
All in all the wedding was fun. Whatever happened to the small, simple
type of look. The priest gave his final words and the ceremony was over. The bride weddings? Quien sabe. My tios were finishing their meals and were beginning to
and groom turned to each other and gave each other the traditional kiss. They both move towards the living room to sip on some more champagne and speak of the old
walked out of the church with a sonrisa that would have put Jimmy Carter to shame.
·days. As for me, I .had to go write a paper for my La Raza Studies class.
Paae4
February 28, 1988
La Voz De Aztla'n
The Visit
by Maria Anita Torres
I'm sitting here next to you abuelita
I know when I visit you ·
with your hands on mihe
that it hurts me not to cry
and I can feel the warmthness
because another day and soon
of your beauty.
another year has gone by
It is as though you are my sole energy
and I have not been able to tell
of strength, love, and understanding.
you the stories that I hold inside.
I'm sitting here next to you
and I feel as though /' m milefo away
Nor have I been able
/
because now I want to talk to you
to create with you a word
and have you talk to me.
that leads to laughter
Instead I have to sit here wishing.
or one that creates a
Wishing I could speak your language
single tear that we may share.
· If you only knew, how much I
the language that should be mine.
wanted to tell you abuelita,
Abuelita / look into your eyes
'Que tu eres mi corazon.'
and I see nothing but mestizo pride.
I feel the texture of your skin
It is you that I draw my strength from
and it tells me how you've ,,.
and it is you who washes away
won the struggle to survive.
all my fears.
I wish I could tel/you
If I cou!d only say "I love you",
that I know the stori~s of
and know that you understood.
your wrinkles and how
If only abuelita,
that makes me feel inside.
If only someday I could.
'
-
.
Ivarra
Cuba .
ContillNNI from 1»a1e 1
·chiid-care centers available. While more
centers are always needed, women re-·
·ceive an additional help from the
schools. Aides are available from
· 6:00 A.M. until 7-:00 P .M. at many
school sites in order .to accommodate the
needs of working women and their
children.
What about women in Education?
Women can be found in 60% to 70%
of the Cuban teaching positions. In
addition, the head of the Ministry of
Education is a woman.
Statistics are not as encouraging for
younger females.
Approximately
. 3% to 5% of Cuban girls are not allowed
to· study · beyond the primary grades by
theirfamilies. Members of tbe schools,
the Cuban Federation of Women, and
other groups go to visit the families.
The problem is _that girls who are not
encouraged to continue their education
usually marry early and soon thereaftc:r
become mothers.
While there are still several obstacles which Cyban women have yet to
overcome, they have sti II made many
· advances towar<t. bettering their lives.
The key to this success seems to be the
ability of the women to organize in order
to elevate Cuban women to the position
of first-class citizens.
Continued ~rom pa1e 3
whatever education has to offer. Education is one of the means that will be
able to change conditions that have
hampered us in trying to achieve our
goals."
Though, having enjoyed his time here
in California, he plans to return to Washington.
"Washington is beautiful,"
lvarra stated, "I plan to go back and pick
up where I left off. There are not quite
-as many Chicanos up there as there
are here, but enough where something
must be done."
·
Wherever lvarra goes he will continue
making notable impressions. He is a
man quickly on his way up and who will
attain all his szoals.
r
CHICANOS IN AW PLANS .
CAREER DAY
The Chicanos in law organization will
be sponsoring a law Day March 12· at
CSUF. Time and location will be announced in a later issue.
Recruiters from various law schools
will be present with information on their
respective schools.
A general orientation will also be
offered · with three workshops in the
areas of pre-law curriculum, preparation
for the L.S.A.T. exam and females in
law.
The workshops are open to everyone
and anyone needing more information
can contact Esther ~rtinez at 48r-1021.
Cheap
Labor
Continued from page 1
Mexicans would not affect current wages
and working conditions.
Opposition to the bills is led by the
United Farm Workers Union. Accordi'I
to a UFW spokesperson, one of the
biggest advantages to the grower wm
that trade unions were successfully
blocked through the bracero. · The
bracero proved to be a most effectiw
weapon in turning back unionization
during the 1940's. Domestic laborers
were forced to yield on wages, forced
to abandon the fields, and left to reckon
. alone with agricu_ltural corporations.
Although both bills are still in draft
and discussions are still going on 1D
. bring both pieces of legislation on II
the tloor tor a vote, it is likely the
bills ·will be merged.
Both bills are headed for the same
results according to a spokesperson for
Mr. Pashayan 's office. When the final
draft of the ·bill comes to the floor for
vote it will likely become' a very hot
and debated issue for both the growers
and th~ir opponents.
/
LA VOZ de AZTLAN
February 28, 1980
Thursday
Photo trom movie "Alambr1sta."
Mexican Workers: Cheap Labor?
By PETE RAMIREZ
Are Mexican workers really needed in
our agricultural industry to harvest our
aops or is it just a means to make it legal
to use cheap labor?
This question is . just one of many
brought up by the introduction of two
bills in legslation. One bill is being introdaced by Congressman Chip Pashayan
and the.other by Sen~tor S. I. Hayakawa.
Opponents to the bills argue that it is .
iust a way to bring back the Bracero Pro-
Despite the variety of jobs braceros
were employed in, groweres continually
stressed that Mexicans were obtained
only to do the hard stoop labor that white
Americans and domestics would not
accept. Intended just to be supplementary workers, braceros showed a tendency to outnumber domestics in certain
areas and in various jobs outside of agriculture.
well as to reduce the flow of "illegal"
immigrants.
The second bill is sponsored by local
representative, Chip Pashayan. His bill
is entitled the "Guest Worker Program
Act of 1979." The bill is more regulated
in that it includes fair-treatment guidelines for Mexican workers, including
safe and sanitary ho~sing.
A provision of the bill includes the
issuance of "'tamperproof" identification
cards to be shown to prospective
employers as proof of their "legal"
eligibility to work in the United States.
The Labor Department would have to
certify that domestic workers were not
available and that employment of
Continued on page 4
.Cuban Women Attain
First Class Status
The program was to have ended after
the war, ;but ·braceros were still being
1ram.
used until the agreement between
The bracero program was begun ·in Mexico and the United States ended
response to the labor shortage of World in December of 1964. With the termina- .
War 11. Crowers needed manpower tion of the program it was thought
to pick their crops and they turned to never to be necessary again until recently, when two bills were introduced Editor's Note:
Mexico to solve their problem.
Last week's is~e
Crowers and agencies of the federal in an attempt to -revive the bracero · featured Dr. Lea Ybarra-Soriano 's
program proposed that planned migra- program.
trip to Cuba in December. This week La
The first bill was, introduced by Sen- · Voz-. De Aztlan staff writer, Angele
tion would provide orderly recruitment
and alleviate the problem. Minimum ator S. I. Hayakawa on June 28; 1979. Belton, focuses in on women in Cuba .
wage standards could be set, · public Entitled the "United States-Mexico Next week she will focus on education in
Good Neighbor Act of 1979." The bill's Cuba.
funds could be spent in initiating and
purpose it fill . the many .short-term
maintaining the program.
Federal
. At one time women in Cuba were
subsidies helped to minimize costs. The economic needs of Mexicans and short- considered second or third-ciass citi~
main provision was that workers could term labor needs of _American agricul- zens . ~ucn 1s no longer the case. Today
be sent home when they were no longer tural and service industries by a tem- 95 % of all Cuban women are members
porary worker visa program.
· of the Cuban Federation of Women .
needed.
Mr. Hayakawa insists that it is neces- The organization is active at the block
, Almost from the beginning the
braceros were exploited and the program sary to establish a legal farmworker/ level, the municipal level, and the nawas misused although the braceros · for Mexican labor in the United States tional level. Because of the . strength
were received with eagerness.
in order to harmonize the_use of such
of this group, progress has been made.
Although, originally braceros were workers and to prevent the abuse of Men and women are now receiving equal
recruited for agriculture, they were them by smugglers. Others Teasons for education at most levels . When a factory
found to be advantageous in almost his bill is to better protect American or other business establishment is built,·
every other kind_ of job to be found. workers from unfair competition, as women receive a fair proportion of the
jobs. While women can be housewives,
they are now encouraged to join the work
force :-
The Family Code established by the
Federation has had a big impact on family life. Before, men would -only help
with the housework when their peers
were out of sight. Now, men are openly
sharing the 'fiousehofd and child-care
respons;bilities, particularly when both
husband and wife work.
Moreover, household activities and
child care have been lessened for women
in a variety of ways. If women wish,
they may leave their shopping _list at
their local grocery store and pick up
their groceries, already bagged and
ready· to go, on their way home. Cu.ban
women can also benefit from the manv
Continued on pa1e 4
•
.-'~ Voz De Aztla_n
Pagel
'No On 9' Being Formed
On Campus
With tentative plans being made on
Other effects would be a possible
how to deal with the · effects of the faculty cut-back, as well as the closing
Jarvis II initiative on the CSUF campus, of · the smaller departments on campus.
a club has been formed to help defeat Tuition costs may lower the already
the proposition in the upcoming June decreasing enrollment IPvels in the
CSUC system . A possible long range
primary.
The club, *Campus no on 9* effect of Proposition 9 would be the
was formed to help educate faculty, stu- closinat of campuses across the state.
dents, and community members on the
With this in mind, *Campus No On 9"
depressing. effects the jarvis initiativ:e,
will
try to make people aware of the
or Proposition 9, will have on the
C.S.U.C. (California State Universities danger if the initi~tive is passed.
and Colleges) system and it's campuses
Everyone who is interested in helping
of which Cal State Fresno is a member
defeat the proposition, is encouraged
of.
Proposition 9, if passed, wfll eli- to attend a *Campus no on 9" meeting
minate 50% of the personal income to be held this Wednesday, February 27
tax, which would mean the state will at noon in the College Union, rm. 309.
lose an estimated $4.9 billion. The revenue loss to the C.S.U.C.system will be
The committee will sponsor a voter
approximately $200 million from the
registration drive, fund raisers, and a
state.
educational literature on Prop. 9
The effects on the CSUF campus will
If you have any question regarding
be tuition being set at $480 a semester.
According to Ken Seib, chairman of Prop. 9 and the "Campus no on 9" or, the C.S .U. , Fresno United Professors ganization, please contact Dave Ditora
of California, for every $100. increase at 487-2657 /CU rm. 306 or Ken Seib
at 487-2009 / SR 4 rm. 209
in cost, 3% of .the students
will be lost.
. .
Chicanas Receive Low Pay
Finally, 17.2 percent of all MexicanAmer!can families were headed by
women. Of those female household
heads who worked at any time during
1975, 60.3 percent had earnings below
the poverty level. ,
·
In 1975, about 71 percent of Chicanas
~arned_.'ess than SS ,000 a year, accordmR to Profile of the Chicana: A Statis-
tical Fact Sheet,* MALDEF, 1978. Low
paying, low skilled jobs contribute to
their low annual income of $2,925.
Chicanas complete an average of 10
years of school, about two years less
than women in the population at large.
Eighteen percent have completed less
than five years of school: Only 24 per- .
cent completed high school; and of those
25 years or older, only 3.2 percent are
college graduates.'
·
ELECTIONS FOR 1980 -81
A.S.B.- C.U. OFFICERS MARCH 18,19,20
BE HEARD!
POSITIONS .OPEN ARE A SENATE POSITION,
SENATOR AT LARGE OR
FOR A COLLEGE UNION POSITION
PETITIONS AR~ AVAILABLE FEBRUARY 25 - 29
IN JOYAL ADMINISTRATION ROQM ·224
PETITION DEADLINE IS F~~RUARY 29
.
February 28, 1911
DOUBLE STANDARDS
?
•
By YOLANDA SOTO
by faculty and some students from the
Lately MEChA has tried to hold fund- dorms, but there was no time for
raiser dances in the residence cafeteria
reaction."
Lilly Espinoza, MEChA
and has run into unnecessary obstacles
member replied, "I did follow the rules
such as, issues involving the manda- but still I was told the day before the
tory purchase of punch and cookies in
occasion that there would be no back-toorder to use facilities which were no school dance according to Marshal , an
longer mandatory, and the late notice of assistant of Finlev."
•mandatory security.
Lea Ybarra-Soriano brought the point
up that the students pay fees for campus
These issues were raised in a meeting
held last Thursday with Bill Corcoran,
facilities, such as the residence cafeteria
Dean of Student's Affairs and Rick and they shouldn~t be denied the use of
Finley, Head of Food Services, concern- these facilities, especially in such short
ing the problems student organizations
notice, as the day before.
Manuel Perez, a staff representative
have had to face in order to have a
dance. Others who attended the meet- felt, *In order to help the problem the
ing were faculty Lea Ybarra-Soriano, Ad Hoc.Committee needs more feedback
Manuel Perez and Ernesto Martinez.
from groups on campus, students who
have gone through the hassels . w In
Students concerned with the problem
attended as ME Ch A representatives. response Corcoran asked Lilly Espinoza
During the meeting Ernesto Martinez and Sylvia Rodriguez, two well involved
raised the question, "Why are different students, to join the Ad Hoc Committee
obstacles raised and no guidelines set in order to get more feedback from
to follow?"
In answer to Martinez' diverse groups.
question Bill Corcoran· replied, "There
Some Chicano students and faculty
fare guidelines , they were put together feel this problem is connected to racism
very quickly a couple of months ago
because of past experiences in dealing
by the Ad Hoc Committee represented with similar situations.
They hope
to remedy the situation by more Chicano
input in the Ad Hoc Committee.
Cartas
Dear Editor:
I would like to take this opportunity
to encourage students to take advantage
of the free services offered by the
P.A.S.S program established on campus
last semester.
The intent of the P.A.S.S. program is
to provide an opportunity for students
to improve their reading skills, English
language proficiency and basic. problemsolving techniques in math and science.
The program also offers assistance to
new students on the CSUF campus
who feel lost and need help adjusting
to college life
The P.A.S.S. staff are sensitive to
the needs of the college student and are
well qualified to handle student related
problems~ we're here to help! Don ' t
wait until it's too late - get help for
your studies now. Stop by our office
in the Joyal Administration Building,
Room 240 or call us at 487-1238.
Pat Aguirre
Director/PASS Service
La Voz Staff
Editor .......... Margarita
M.
Martfnez
Reporters ...... ...... Edward G. Aparicio
Angele Belton
Eli Carda
Dora Lara
Pete Ramirez
Yolanda Soto
Cartoonist. .................... Carlos
Ostos
Art Work ................. Arturo Ocampo
l uan Hernandez
Photo Editor ................. Lupe Mora
.
Luis Vasquez
February 28, 1980
Pagel
La Voz De Aztlln
Francisco Ivarra, . Climbing The
Ladder _O f Success
then went on to Skagit Valley Community College in Washingtonwhere he was
dfrector of the Title 7, bilingual biAt first glance, he gives one a feeling cultural project and director of Mexican
of warmth and comfort, yet he com- American studies. "I am very committed
mands one's respect.
Francisco
to the education profession,~ lvarra
lvarra professor in the School of Social stated.
Work and oart-time La Raza Studies
With lvarra 's large education backinstructor is well recognized at Califor- ground, he has his own ideas of the
nia State University, t-resno despite his profession. "The concept of teaching in
brief tenure . His list of accomplish- a classroom through diverse learning
ments seems endless.
environment that exists because of the
~eteor~enous of people in this country
A graduate of the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington, Francisco rs very important."
After leaving the State of Washington,
lvarra has attained his masters and B.A.
in sociology and anthropology and a lvarra taught at Bowling Green UniversPhd in social science. While in atten- ity in Ohio where he developed the Chidance, lvarra was instructed by Vine cano culture. He then taught at another
Deloria Jr., author of "Custer Died For midwest (Michigan) University. While
Your Sins/ and many other well known traveling in search of a better awareness
Native American books. Another wel I in culture and education lvarra is quite
knowledgeable in many aspects of the
known-'protessor which lvarra was
education
field. "I feel I have a well
impressed with was Dr. Sergio Elizondo,
rounded education, thus able to teach in
a well known Chicano poet.
He was involved in many school activ- many areas."
ities, also having been elected president
In 1975, lvarra was one out of 300
of MEChiA . During the 60's, lvarra was Chicanos to receive the Health Eduvery involved in the moviemiento
cation and Welfare Fellowship Award .
particularily in the Yakima Valley, where
Having been at CSUF a few years,
the largest concentration of Chicanos
lvarra enjoys CSUF very much. " It has
reside
bP.cause of. the rich agricultural
/
a lot of potential for developing an excelcrops.
lent learning environment for Chicanos
in the San Joaquin Valley ." CSUF has
Texas born, lvarra has much teachan excellent program (La Raza Studies)
ing experience behind him . After
to offer to all students, particularily
graduating from the University of WashChicanos . I really encourage students to
ington, he taught af Western Washinggo beyond high school and reach for
ton State College (Bellingham, Washing·
Continued on paae 4
ton) as an assistant professor. lvarra
By EDWARD APARICIO
Ii
'My eventual goal is to
- be ·dean or president
of a university.'
I
A Short Story
Ya Se ChingoJA Ch'tcano Wedding)
by Arturo.- Ocampo
The rythmic slapping of the tortillas on the heated coma/ gave me a feeling of
I remember seeing my tia who was sitting in the second row, her mestiza tears
deja vu. It was good to be back home; being with my fami/ia always seems to break began finding their way down her aged and flushed cheeks. Those were tears that
the,.tedious monotony of school. The scene was an old and familiar one, one I've waited 21 years to be shed, as a sense of pride and a sense of loss cooperated in their
experienced often. All of us men were seated at the dinner table while my jefita and making. My tio, standing silently by, wiped a tear from his eye in the pretense of
taking a particle of dirt out.
tias waited on us. The women's movements were quick as they raced back and forth
Bueno, gas shortage or no gas shortage, we cruised to the hall taking the long way,
from the kitchen to the table. Their preoccupation with the contentment of our
stomachs was almost comical, as though their movements were choreographed
honking and yelling all the way. When we arrived at the hall, we were greeted
by Cantinflas himself.
by the sounds of tmmpets, guitars, and violins creating an array of sounds each
The conversation at the table moved from bragging about old drinking days to
distinctly separate yet coming together as thou.sh wearing a basket , of music. The
bragging about their sons 'achievements. The scene that day was a little different
mariachi played strong and boldly; although of French origin, they were the personthan _
usual, however.
·
ification of the state and people of Ja/isco.
The senses were truly receiving a treat that day. The music entranced the ears,
The air was filled with a vitality and excitement that provoked the
the smell of birria seduced -th~ domain of .the nasal passage, which in turn teased
heart to sing and the teet to dance; in fact, if we weren '( all crudos that day, we
the taste buds, which of course were satisfied in no time at all. The bright colors
probably would have been singing and dancing. The excitement was over the
wedding of my primo which had occurred the day before. It was hard to believe caught the eyes, only to be outdone by the love1y chicanas gordas, chaparras,
that my primo actually got married, and expressing and equal amount of amazement flacas, desmoladas, grenudas, rr,orenas; it didn't matter. / love them all.
was a tio who said, "Pos con ya se chingo el Oscar, come inside." With this a roar
After everyone -was served and seated, the best man made the brindis. After
of laughter filled the dining room as each tio laughed, one after another, as though the cena the dance began, and everyone was hechando char:,clasos to the tune
a row of dominoes were being knocked over. The contagious laughter in their throats of Little Joe y la Familia. I don't know it· it was because all the vatos were shy
was sincerely complimented with the twinkle of champagne in their eyes.
ber:ause most of the girls were sitting next to their mothers, but not too many people
As the musty yet tempting aroma of the tortillas continued to tease my appetite, were dancing at first. Once my tequila started to mysteriously disappear, mor~ and
I began to recall the wedding of the day before. I remembered my primo standing more peo,..:le started to dance,,:que raroverdad. Some of the vatos weren't too suree
~n front of the altar, rangy, cara de indio feo, half happy, half scared, and completely whether ther had to ask the mother of the girl for permission to dance. Yo·u could
mcoherent.
usually tell which girls didn't cpme with the,; parents; if they let you dance close,
And speaking of indios feos, the best man was so nervous trying to get the ring the. parents weren't around, and if the parents were there and you got too close,
to my primo that I thought for a second hfs machismo might drop down to his ankles.
they woufd give the girls a vas-a ..ver-cuando-llegamos-a-la-casa look, hijo si las
Aher the placing of the lasso and the giving of the arras, my primo gave us a,
miradas pudieran ma tar!!
•Pos-yo-creo-que-me-voy-a-casar" look, and he unanimously replied with a •juevo
All in all the wedding was fun. Whatever happened to the small, simple
type of look. The priest gave his final words and the ceremony was over. The bride weddings? Quien sabe. My tios were finishing their meals and were beginning to
and groom turned to each other and gave each other the traditional kiss. They both move towards the living room to sip on some more champagne and speak of the old
walked out of the church with a sonrisa that would have put Jimmy Carter to shame.
·days. As for me, I .had to go write a paper for my La Raza Studies class.
Paae4
February 28, 1988
La Voz De Aztla'n
The Visit
by Maria Anita Torres
I'm sitting here next to you abuelita
I know when I visit you ·
with your hands on mihe
that it hurts me not to cry
and I can feel the warmthness
because another day and soon
of your beauty.
another year has gone by
It is as though you are my sole energy
and I have not been able to tell
of strength, love, and understanding.
you the stories that I hold inside.
I'm sitting here next to you
and I feel as though /' m milefo away
Nor have I been able
/
because now I want to talk to you
to create with you a word
and have you talk to me.
that leads to laughter
Instead I have to sit here wishing.
or one that creates a
Wishing I could speak your language
single tear that we may share.
· If you only knew, how much I
the language that should be mine.
wanted to tell you abuelita,
Abuelita / look into your eyes
'Que tu eres mi corazon.'
and I see nothing but mestizo pride.
I feel the texture of your skin
It is you that I draw my strength from
and it tells me how you've ,,.
and it is you who washes away
won the struggle to survive.
all my fears.
I wish I could tel/you
If I cou!d only say "I love you",
that I know the stori~s of
and know that you understood.
your wrinkles and how
If only abuelita,
that makes me feel inside.
If only someday I could.
'
-
.
Ivarra
Cuba .
ContillNNI from 1»a1e 1
·chiid-care centers available. While more
centers are always needed, women re-·
·ceive an additional help from the
schools. Aides are available from
· 6:00 A.M. until 7-:00 P .M. at many
school sites in order .to accommodate the
needs of working women and their
children.
What about women in Education?
Women can be found in 60% to 70%
of the Cuban teaching positions. In
addition, the head of the Ministry of
Education is a woman.
Statistics are not as encouraging for
younger females.
Approximately
. 3% to 5% of Cuban girls are not allowed
to· study · beyond the primary grades by
theirfamilies. Members of tbe schools,
the Cuban Federation of Women, and
other groups go to visit the families.
The problem is _that girls who are not
encouraged to continue their education
usually marry early and soon thereaftc:r
become mothers.
While there are still several obstacles which Cyban women have yet to
overcome, they have sti II made many
· advances towar<t. bettering their lives.
The key to this success seems to be the
ability of the women to organize in order
to elevate Cuban women to the position
of first-class citizens.
Continued ~rom pa1e 3
whatever education has to offer. Education is one of the means that will be
able to change conditions that have
hampered us in trying to achieve our
goals."
Though, having enjoyed his time here
in California, he plans to return to Washington.
"Washington is beautiful,"
lvarra stated, "I plan to go back and pick
up where I left off. There are not quite
-as many Chicanos up there as there
are here, but enough where something
must be done."
·
Wherever lvarra goes he will continue
making notable impressions. He is a
man quickly on his way up and who will
attain all his szoals.
r
CHICANOS IN AW PLANS .
CAREER DAY
The Chicanos in law organization will
be sponsoring a law Day March 12· at
CSUF. Time and location will be announced in a later issue.
Recruiters from various law schools
will be present with information on their
respective schools.
A general orientation will also be
offered · with three workshops in the
areas of pre-law curriculum, preparation
for the L.S.A.T. exam and females in
law.
The workshops are open to everyone
and anyone needing more information
can contact Esther ~rtinez at 48r-1021.
Cheap
Labor
Continued from page 1
Mexicans would not affect current wages
and working conditions.
Opposition to the bills is led by the
United Farm Workers Union. Accordi'I
to a UFW spokesperson, one of the
biggest advantages to the grower wm
that trade unions were successfully
blocked through the bracero. · The
bracero proved to be a most effectiw
weapon in turning back unionization
during the 1940's. Domestic laborers
were forced to yield on wages, forced
to abandon the fields, and left to reckon
. alone with agricu_ltural corporations.
Although both bills are still in draft
and discussions are still going on 1D
. bring both pieces of legislation on II
the tloor tor a vote, it is likely the
bills ·will be merged.
Both bills are headed for the same
results according to a spokesperson for
Mr. Pashayan 's office. When the final
draft of the ·bill comes to the floor for
vote it will likely become' a very hot
and debated issue for both the growers
and th~ir opponents.