A month and a half ago, this reporter witnessed an entrapment of strange proportions.  A nameless resident at the University of Massachusetts Amherst screamed for help from inside an elevator within the Sylvan living area.  Although I had to race to class, I firstly rounded up help- a residential assistant sitting on a bench in the [...]

By: Tim Wallace A recent study published in the Chronicle of Higher Education has found that affirmative action may be causing an increase in academic pressure for minorities at elite colleges and universities, as well as providing them with a less-than-liked social stigma.  The study was led by academic researchers Camille Z. Charles (University of Pennsylvania), Mary J. [...]

By: Gisel Saillant Part 2: The Fundraiser… Party for a Cause! Going on this trip was a strain on the shallow pockets my class, the Latin American Caribbean and Latino Studies 2009 Alternative Spring Break, had. As a class, we worked together to fundraise for the trip. As Treasurer of Casa Dominicana, an RSO on campus, I [...]

By: Gisel Saillant Part 1: Background Planning  This class has been a process… enough said.  The Latin American Caribbean and Latino Studies 2009 Alternative Spring Break to the Dominican Republic was an experience that I’m still digesting after arriving back in the U.S. Monday morning.  Maybe I should start with the battles of finding an organization in the [...]

By: Gisel Saillant Yes, the Afro-Latino movement. The images the media are sending out do not capture the influence of the African Diaspora in Latin America and the Caribbean. For example, Colombian actress Sofia  Vergara was asked by Hollywood producers to dye her naturally blonde hair black to look more Hispanic. This is a common, stereotypical [...]

By: Gisel Saillant I’ve always loved going to class and watching the different groups on campus protest on issues they feel should be brought to justice. UMass has become an arena for students to assemble and exercise their freedom of expression, especially when they are dissenting on an issue. My freshman year I was amazed because I [...]

By: Gisel Saillant Photos courtesy of Gisel Saillant   With the jokes made about Black History Month being the shortest month of the year, the days in February are used to measure the equality between racial groups in the U.S. Last week, UMass seized the opportunity to make every day count by kicking off Black History Month with [...]

By: Gisel Saillant Collegian Staff All photos courtesy of Gisel Saillant This is my perspective on the 24th Annual Carroll F. S.  National Black Student Leadership Development Conference in Washington D.C., which I attended from Jan. 8-11. Aside from a one hour flight in a matchbox of a plane, the trip to D.C. was smooth. When we arrived [...]