As part of NEIU’s University Day festivities, the United for Puerto Rican Students (UPRS) presented an event titled “Free Speech at NEIU: A Noble (and Charged) History” on March 4.
Hosted in the Golden Eagles room, the event drew a large number of students, faculty, staff and alumni. Current UPRS students; Ashley Arce, Jazmine Zuniga, Marla Mojica, Jessie Fuentes, and Xavier Burgos; began the event by explaining to the audience the reason they decided to join UPRS.
After some technical difficulties, a PowerPoint presentation was shown in which Arce and Fuentes described their organization’s historical impact on NEIU and the influence the club has had on them personally.
Fuentes began to explain how, historically, UPRS has challenged NEIU to uphold its “Urban Mission” by pressuring it to implement Latina/o programs and courses. “[Latino and Latin American Studies] didn’t exist back in the 70’s at NEIU… now, we are struggling to make it a major… We’ve been struggling for 27 years for a Latino cultural center,” said Fuentes. Fuentes also talked about the early history of Puerto Ricans at NEIU, stressing the fact that there were only 59 Puerto Rican students in the 70’s. Arce then said how UPRS helps students from Puerto Rican communities to attend school.
“If it wasn’t for UPRS I wouldn’t be at NEIU today,” said Arce as she explained the impact UPRS has had on her life.
A PowerPoint slide then showed a long list of prominent individuals who have been former members of UPRS. The list included such individuals as Congressman Luis Gutierrez, NEIU Trustee Marvin Garcia, City Clerk Miguel de Valle, among many others.
NEIU’s Puerto Rican publication, Que Ondee Sola, was also mentioned during the event. Fuentes explained the importance of the magazine to the UPRS, saying how Que Ondee Sola promotes the goals and activities of UPRS students and the organization as a whole.
“Que Ondee Sola helps us state our history and our struggles,” said Fuentes. Fuentes’ remarks were supported by former UPRS member, Irma Romero, who explained the historical importance of UPRS to Puerto Ricans as a whole.
Romero, herself Mexican, also stressed how important it is that Que Ondee Sola remain a magazine predominantly focused on Puerto Rican issues.
“Que Ondee Sola has to be a Puerto Rican magazine,” said Romero, “Puerto Rico is a colony of the United States. Until Puerto Rico can have its freedom, then Que Ondee Sola can become a [general] Latino magazine.”
Que Ondee Sola is the oldest Puerto Rican and Latino university student publication in the United States. The next issue will focus on Latina women and issues concerening Latin women. Work on a website for the magazine has begun and is expected to go live by Fall 2010.