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The office of Hispanic
Student Services at OSU is celebrating 25 years of service
and so is Carmen Alvarez-Breckenridge, the one and only director
that office has known for a quarter of a century.
Alvarez-Breckenridge came to head the office, now part of
the Multicultural Center located at the fourth floor of the
Ohio Union, under the auspices of a group of people that have
become symbols of leadership in campus and around the nation.
Normand Caban, now Director for Recruitment at OMA; Dr. Jose
Villa, today the Assistant Vice Provost for Minority Affairs;
Inez Cardozo-Freeman, emeritus professor, comparative studies;
Dr. Michael Olivas, who was a student at that time and now
is a professor of law at the University of Texas at Houston;
and the Reverend Bill Lewis from the United Christian Center
were the ones who brought the idea to life.
Carmen Alvarez-Breckenridge says that the best part of being
the head of the office of Hispanic Student Services at OSU
is the interaction with the students.
“It has been like being a mother to the students. It
is a wonderful opportunity to help others not to feel alienated,
to give them a home away from home. More than a job, it has
been a devotion of my heart,” she says.
Her office is a quiet testimony to that devotion throughout
the artwork displayed on the walls: framed posters of each
one of the yearly Hispanic Heritage celebrations. At first
a week long celebration, later becoming a month long event,
and for the 25th anniversary, an entire year -- a jubilee
year.
The celebration for the jubilee will be prepared on a per
quarter basis so that different students and offices have
the opportunity to join in the festivities. “We are working
in tandem with academic units and we want to celebrate the
educational thrust of the graduate students in this effort.
It’s a celebration were everyone partakes,” said
Alvarez-Breckeridge.
During the spring quarter the main events will be the Ecuadorian
Cultural Ambassadors, the Housing Civil Rights 2 Part series,
Noche Latina, and a series of speakers.
Throughout the year, “The Road to Success: El Futuro
eres Tu” will continue to bring together students every
Tuesday at 5 p.m. to talk about different issues.
Alvarez-Breckenridge also said that the Men’s Initiative,
a new program through the Multicultural Center is also in
progress. This program’s main purpose is to have a support
group dedicated to Latino men.
Today, Carmen is also supported by his assistant, Michael
Yeh, a Korean and Taiwanese graduate student who explains
that he applied to the position because he wanted to get a
taste for a different culture.
Alvarez-Breckenridge adds that Michael is an integral part
of the office and is fully involved with the Hispanic Community
as part of his outreach efforts to create multicultural coalitions.
“We would like to thank all the offices and departments,
as well as the community, not only for this year’s participation
in the jubilee celebration, but also for the support this
office has received during the 25 years it has been in existence,”
concluded Alvarez- Breckenridge.
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