Welcome to a new school year and to the Autumn 2009 edition of ¿Qué Pasa, OSU?! As the new Editor, I replace the very capable Carlos Castillo, who devoted two years of his career to servicing the Hispanic community with a quality publication full of information and human interest stories. I join long time staff member and new Assistant Editor Giovana Covarrubias, who has dedicated three years of her college career to the development of ¿Qué Pasa, OSU? Additionally, we welcome Bruno Ribeiro and his many years of layout and design experience to our publication.
I come to this magazine from the Department of History here at Ohio State, where I have been teaching courses in Latin American and early American history for the last four years. Raised in Los Angeles, California, I earned my B.A. from the Department of History at the University of Oregon, my M.A. in American Studies from the University of Dallas, and advanced to candidacy in the Department of History here at OSU. Like many, I am a first generation college graduate from a close knit family who has been fortunate enough to find a measure of success through hard work and familial support. Now in the process of completing my dissertation, I am pleased to have this opportunity to serve the Hispanic community at both OSU and in the greater Columbus area. I sincerely hope to exceed your expectations in editions to come; I equally hope to meet many of you in the coming year and am delighted to provide you with this Autumn 2009 edition.
We begin with our cover, an illustration provided by Benjamin David Diehl focused on the concept of heroes, which highlights two of our articles: “Get Your Latino Comics On” by Professor Frederick Aldama and “Answering the Call: An Examination of the Mexican American Population in Lorain, Ohio and Their Contributions to World War II,” written by myself. Professor Aldama’s article is a brief history of the representation of Latino superheroes through the medium of comic books and strips, which is one of the main subjects in his publication, Your Brain on Latino Comics: From Gus Arriola to Los Bros. Hernandez. “Answering the Call” is a two part series that will continue next edition. Additionally, we introduce ¿Qué Pasa, OSU? readers to the world of Folklore Studies through the article, “From Puerto Rico to Ohio: Dynamic Culinary Traditions,” by Ph.D. Candidate Sheila Bock of OSU.
In this issue, we also continue our tradition of highlighting outstanding faculty members and incoming freshmen. We begin with welcome messages from Executive Vice President and Provost Joseph Alutto and Vice Provost of Minority Affairs Mac Stewart. Our faculty profile is entitled “Illuminating the Andes” and highlights Professor Alcira Dueñas of OSU Newark, while our Incoming Freshmen Profiles introduce seven new promising faces now at OSU. Also included in this edition are lists of both student organizations and most recent graduates from the Hispanic community here at OSU, as well as an article introducing the new Student Union.
We also bring you advice from: the Associate Director of Career Connection Dr. Ana Berríos, in the form of a “Four Year Career Planner;” from Giovana Covarrubias on “Tips for Fall 2009” and “Dorm Life;” from Gina Palluconi on “Real-World Spanish Speaking Opportunities in Columbus;” and from Kevin Brown on “Why Greek Life Matters.” The “Four Year Career Planner” occupies our center spread and is meant for removal, so that you might utilize it as a guide and track your progress during your academic career. Finally, El Gringo and Giovana Covarrubias continue their tradition of restaurant reviews by recounting their most recent culinary experience in “Don Patron III Mexican Restaurant: Loud Colors, Loud Taste.”
With the coming year we hope to continue the tradition of keeping you informed on events, accomplishments, and opportunities available to students and members of the OSU community. Additionally, we hope you will find our new emphasis on providing an academic element to the publication through Folklore Studies, History, and more to be both interesting and informative. We here at ¿Qué Pasa, OSU? wish you all the best in this academic year!
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