Latinos Call New Center Lacking

By next fall, Harvard will have an ambitious new center for Latin American studies, with faculty gleaned from up to a half dozen new hires and professors from all of the University's schools.

It's an enormous institutional commitment, but some Latino students say it's not enough.

Sure, more undergraduates will be able to take more classes from more faculty members. The problem, students say, is one of focus. They want to study Latino issues, not just Latin American ones.

There's a difference.

"[Latinos in the United Status] have a history intertwined in the history of this country," says Alejandro Contreras '95, co-editor of Del Sur, a magazine for Harvard Latinos. "I was born in this country, and the country I identify with is this country...I can't identify with Argentina."

The struggle for courses and faculty in Latino studies has gone on for years. As recently as March, students demonstrated during Junior Parents' Weekend, in part because of the lack of classes and resources in this field.

"What we've been doing in the last couple of years is [to try] to get a greater interest by the University as a whole to come up with courses and professors that focus on Latin American studies, specifically on Latinos in the United States," says Xavier Guttierrez '95, the president of Raza, an undergraduate organization of Mexican-Americans.

Some are treating Harvard's announcement as a partial victory for the cause of Latino studies. Professors and students say they believe that the new center is likely to expand from Latin America to Latinos.

"It's not a center for [study of Latinos in the United States], but there are so many overlapping interests that the center can't help but support it," Gutman Professor of Latin American Affairs John H. Coatsworth said earlier this week.

Nicole Souffront '96, editor of Voces Unidas, a magazine focusing on Latino and Latin American issues, says she thinks the center will have an added benefit for Harvard. More Latinos, she suspects, will enroll at the College.

"I think it will have a definite impact on Latino studies in the United States," Souffront says. "If anything, it will attract more Latinos to Harvard. Having the [center], Harvard will have better luck in retaining and attracting [Latino] students."

Not everyone is so upbeat, though.

"It's a positive step for Latin Americans, but it won't do much for Latinos studies, which is lacking," says Jose Tello '95, "If [the center] concentrates on Latin American countries, and deals with them in particular, I don't see how that would be addressing Latino issues in the United States, because they're different."

'Not as Active'

Curiously, Harvard's decision to start the center comes during a lull in activism by Latino groups. The leaders of some organizations say their members have been discouraged by the lack of progress in Latino studies.

"Right now, we [Raza] are not as active concerning this as three years back," Contreras says. "The administration has given us the runaround. I'm sure that this has frustrated some and made them stop fighting."

"We used to have [members] to do the dirty work," Contreras says. "Now some say, 'It's pretty much a bureaucracy here, why fight it?"

Students say they are miffed by a number of administrative moves. Latino undergraduates say Harvard has done little to attract tenured faculty who could teach Latino studies, and instead relies upon visiting professors who "don't provide institutional support," according to Contreras.

Students also cite the recent decision to transfer the office of the popular Harvard Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations out of University Hall as evidence that Harvard cares little about ethnic studies.

"That's a sign that the University is backing away from having ethnic studies or anything like that," Tello charges.

But Souffront and other students say the center may be a sign that Harvard is coming around.

"I think the University is getting there," Souffront says. "There's been some real change. They did respond to students last year [after the Junior Parents' Weekend demonstrations]."

Contreras says the only way Harvard will support tenured faculty or a department in ethnic studies is if a rich alumnus were to "donate a few million dollars" to the cause.

But Harvard hasn't done much fundraising for Latino studies. In fact, President Neil I. Rudenstine said last weekend that the University is having a hard enough time finding money to support the Latin America center.

"You can't fault Harvard for improving itself," Guttierrez says of the new center, "but you will have to continue to push Harvard to uphold its commitment to academic excellence. I don't think [the center] would be a complete institute [without studies of Latinos in U.S.]

Some are treating Harvard's announcement as a partial victory for the cause of Latino studies. Professors and students say they believe that the new center is likely to expand from Latin America to Latinos.

"It's not a center for [study of Latinos in the United States], but there are so many overlapping interests that the center can't help but support it," Gutman Professor of Latin American Affairs John H. Coatsworth said earlier this week.

Nicole Souffront '96, editor of Voces Unidas, a magazine focusing on Latino and Latin American issues, says she thinks the center will have an added benefit for Harvard. More Latinos, she suspects, will enroll at the College.

"I think it will have a definite impact on Latino studies in the United States," Souffront says. "If anything, it will attract more Latinos to Harvard. Having the [center], Harvard will have better luck in retaining and attracting [Latino] students."

Not everyone is so upbeat, though.

"It's a positive step for Latin Americans, but it won't do much for Latinos studies, which is lacking," says Jose Tello '95, "If [the center] concentrates on Latin American countries, and deals with them in particular, I don't see how that would be addressing Latino issues in the United States, because they're different."

'Not as Active'

Curiously, Harvard's decision to start the center comes during a lull in activism by Latino groups. The leaders of some organizations say their members have been discouraged by the lack of progress in Latino studies.

"Right now, we [Raza] are not as active concerning this as three years back," Contreras says. "The administration has given us the runaround. I'm sure that this has frustrated some and made them stop fighting."

"We used to have [members] to do the dirty work," Contreras says. "Now some say, 'It's pretty much a bureaucracy here, why fight it?"

Students say they are miffed by a number of administrative moves. Latino undergraduates say Harvard has done little to attract tenured faculty who could teach Latino studies, and instead relies upon visiting professors who "don't provide institutional support," according to Contreras.

Students also cite the recent decision to transfer the office of the popular Harvard Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations out of University Hall as evidence that Harvard cares little about ethnic studies.

"That's a sign that the University is backing away from having ethnic studies or anything like that," Tello charges.

But Souffront and other students say the center may be a sign that Harvard is coming around.

"I think the University is getting there," Souffront says. "There's been some real change. They did respond to students last year [after the Junior Parents' Weekend demonstrations]."

Contreras says the only way Harvard will support tenured faculty or a department in ethnic studies is if a rich alumnus were to "donate a few million dollars" to the cause.

But Harvard hasn't done much fundraising for Latino studies. In fact, President Neil I. Rudenstine said last weekend that the University is having a hard enough time finding money to support the Latin America center.

"You can't fault Harvard for improving itself," Guttierrez says of the new center, "but you will have to continue to push Harvard to uphold its commitment to academic excellence. I don't think [the center] would be a complete institute [without studies of Latinos in U.S.]