No Grad Student Left Behind: The Personal is Political

First, sorry for the delay between posts. I was in New Orleans last week, so photos of that are next. The U of AZ Wildcat Pow Wow was spectacular again this year. I did not use the flash on my camera because I did not want to bother the dancers, so some of my pics are a little fuzzy. You can never take photographs during religious dances, like the Gourd Dance, but it's okay to take them while the dancers are competing. Notice the numbers pinned on the clothing. A pow wow is a family affair. It's so refreshing to see multiple generations dancing together from Golden Age 50+, Adults 18-49, Teens 13-17, Juniors 7-12, to Tiny Tots. People arrive early with folding chairs, portable shade canopies, and coolers full of food. To begin, there is a Grand Entry headed by the US flag and an Eagle staff held by champion fancy dancers. Next in the Grand Entry come the honored Veterans, elders, and those holding titles such as Miss Native American U of AZ. After these groups, all of the danc...

Men crossing the finish line at the Willie Williams Classic. My students, Mark and LaTisha are on the UA team. You have no idea how hard these student athletes work. They are under tremendous pressure keep up good grades while putting in untold hours of training and competition. They are up early every day, so UA is not a "party" campus for them. They take their athletics and scholarship seriously. They often speak of their future plans and careers. I am so proud of them! Both LaTisha and Mark are doing well in my English 102 class at the U of A. Go Wildcats! See link on lower right side of this page for more photos.

My parents had to quit school before the age of 13. My eldest brother was the first of my siblings to graduate from high school. Now, I am in graduate school. My parents and my brother were highly intelligent people who did not have the same educational opportunities as I have had. I am not smarter than they were; I was just lucky enough to have been born after World War II. The post-war years were a time when Mexican Americans vets and others were able to take advantage of the G.I. Bill (college and job benefits and housing). In addition, openly blantant racist behaviors was less tolerated by those, like my cousins. who had gone to war to defend freedom.

Born Ricardo Steven Valenzuela, born 1941 and died 1959, he was probably the first Mexican American rock and roll star. His professional career lasted only eight months. Ted Quillin (a.k.a. "TQ") is a hall of fame radio DJ who is alive and well and living in Las Vegas.

Kathryn (Mexican American), Vivette (Jamaica), Katia (Brazil) Sunrise over Pacific ocean, Santa Barbara Our conference group Campus lagoon

Wildflowers on the campus of the U of Arizona This is one of the best times of the year in Southern Arizona because of how the desert blooms and the daily baseball spring training games. Wish you were here.

Just a thought: After paying $2.99 a pound for tomatoes in Tucson, Arizona yesterday, I paid the same amount for a gallon of gas. How are these prices related to each other? The higher the cost of fuel, the higher the price of tomatoes. Store bought tomatoes are a luxury for the working poor. I treated myself to these beautiful tomatoes even though they were so expensive. Life is hard and sometimes, you just have to have something you cannot really afford.

These were the gas prices posted at Fry's Grocery store on Grant and Alvernon in Tucson, Arizona on Monday, March 3, 2008. I wonder if in a year we'll be saying, "Remember when gas was cheap?" or will we be asking, "Can it really go higher than $4.00 a gallon?" Instead of engaging in the "performance art" of the presidential campaign, I wish the candidates would address the issues that affect working people, i.e., those of us who pump our own gas. Instead of attacking one another, why aren't they talking about how they will generate jobs and provide the education and training for those jobs? It's only March, and I'm already sick of what is so far just a popularity contest. As far as the so-called "Hispanic" vote goes, my siblings and I are not voting for the same candidates. We are first generation Mexican Americans and did not agree on the O.J. verdict or whether Elian Gonzales should have gone back to Cuba or stay with his...

Another beautiful weekend - in the 70's - in Tucson this weekend. As usual, I'm spending yet another weekend grading student papers and working on a paper I've been revising for weeks. But at 2:05 p.m. today, I'll be listening to a spring training baseball game on the radio: AZ Diamondbacks vs. White Sox playing in Hermosillo, Mexico today. Last Thursday, Feb. 28th, the DBacks tied the Rockies 5:5. Above is a picture of my son, Justin, at the game. Almost nothing makes him happier than watching his Dbacks. Below is a photo of a true fan. Buy tickets for spring training or the regular season at http://arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=ari

I was inspired to resurrect this blog after one of the students in my First Year Composition course started his own blog. The pressure of writing the first post is more than I can handle. More tomorrow...