Latino opinions
Assistant Professor of Raza Studies Belinda Reyes was quoted in three La
Opinion news stories in January that covered topics including the effects
of globalization on Latino immigration and the effectiveness of the U.S. public
schools for Latino immigrants. Regarding the fact that only 7 out of every 100
students who come from low-income families receive a university diploma, she
said, "What we are seeing here is what will happen in the rest of the nation
in about 30 years. The economic method in which California confronts these
problems is an indication of how to resolve these issues in the future throughout
the United States."
Baggy origins
Connie Ulasewicz, professor of consumer and family studies, was consulted
for a Feb. 5 KPIX-TV story about the origin of baggy jeans. She
said the tradition began with the necessity for looser clothing for
break dancing and hip hop. "We
see it first in the '70s and the 8'0s. ... Then, as hip hop developed
they (pants) got wider and wider, baggier and baggier."
Relationships
not stats
"Sex education has to be relevant. Statistics and scare tactics don't
work," said
Health Education Lecturer Ivy Chen in a Feb. 11 San Francisco Chronicle
Magazine profile about her work in Bay Area schools. "One of the key things
I hit is healthy relationships. I try to talk about sexual decision-making
as part of a healthy relationship, about ways to negotiate with a partner."
Desire
and adolescence
Deborah Tolman, director of the Center for Research on Gender and Sexuality,
discussed teens and sexual health in a Feb. 11 San Francisco Chronicle
story on sex education and sexual health in the modern world. "Sexual health doesn't
just mean saying no," Tolman said. "It might mean that, but it also
might mean that a teen wants to have sexual experiences that don't involve anyone's
genitals. We don't teach kids about desire. Desire is very pleasurable in and
of itself. Learning about it is a wonderful part of adolescence, but we have
this slippery slope mentality that if we talk to teens about it, they'll go out
and have sex. But most teens aren't sex addicts."
Empowering Betty
A Feb. 17 Contra Costa Times story explored the significance of the title
character of ABC's "Ugly Betty" to Latina fans. "We've
been waiting a long time for a TV character who looks like her and
has her voice," said Melissa Camacho, assistant professor of broadcast
and electronic communication arts. "[The show] holds a significant
place in television history, because it has given us an empowering
representation of young women at a time when it is really needed. And
at the end of the day, you realize she's not so ugly and that you love
her all the more because she's nothing like Paris Hilton."
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