By Chaz Wilson Cinco de Mayo is notoriously celebrated by college students drinking margaritas and eating nachos, even though many do not know what the holiday commemorates. A common misconception is that Cinco de Mayo celebrates Mexico’s Independence Day. The holiday actually commemorates the Mexican Army’s unlikely victory over France during the Battle of Puebla […]
The ‘Country’ of Texas
March 2, 2016 by
Think back to seventh-grade Texas history class. You probably remember learning the main Texas rivers; maybe heard about a battle or two. But one date was ground into our memories: March 2, 1836. On that day, Texas declared independence from Mexico before actually winning the war against the country, said Sean Cunningham, an associate professor […]
#PrayForParis … and the Rest of the World
December 11, 2015 by
As the news of the Islamic State’s attacks on Paris unfolded, variations of a social media post began to stir controversy across platforms. The post highlighted tragic events across the world and encouraged expressions of sympathy. But the “Pray for…” hashtag quickly spilled onto unrelated events, including an undersea earthquake that could have led to a massive loss of […]
Are Study Abroad and Tourism the Same Thing?
October 23, 2015 by
Thursday’s “Tourism & Study Abroad: Problematics and Paradoxes” panel encouraged viewing study abroad as an empathy-driven cultural immersion—not a tourist trip. It began with a short documentary, “Framing the Other,” in which a Dutch tourist travels to the basin of the Omo River in the East African state of Ethiopia and takes pictures of the Mursi tribe in exchange for money. Mursi women are known for […]
Tech Professors Talk Monarch Butterfly Conservation
April 14, 2015 by
Since August 2014, a petition has been circulating to include monarch butterflies on the endangered species list. Scott Starr, a graduate student in biology, said one of the conservation concerns with monarch butterflies is the wintering grounds in the mountains of Mexico. Monarchs migrate across the United States to Mexico and southern California each year. “Unfortunately […]
American Dream, Mexican Nightmare
May 8, 2014 by
Take a sneak peek inside into life on the Texas-Mexico border… and those who dare to cross it in hopes to pursue the “American Dream.” American Dream Not Quite Reality For Priscilla Aguero and Jose Loredo, the American dream has yet to be achieved. As a young man, Loredo made his way through the harsh elements of the […]
American Dream Not Quite Reality
May 8, 2014 by
“Before I built a wall I’d ask to know, what I was walling in or walling out, and to whom I was like to give offense. Something there is that doesn’t love a wall, that wants it down,” – Robert Frost, Mending Wall. In a small, quiet neighborhood on the edge of Lubbock, 31-year-old Priscilla […]
Long Wait Brings Focus to Restrictions
May 8, 2014 by
Vanessa Loredo, a Texas Tech University sophomore Spanish major, said her father, Jose Loredo’s cousin, crossed over illegally when he was young. Read his story in: American Dream Not Quite Reality As a native of San Luis Potosi, Mexico, he moved to Weslaco, where he began to work and build a family, Vanessa Loredo said. After […]
Desert Guides at a High Price
May 8, 2014 by
A local woman who has assisted undocumented citizens over the border, knows Loredo and Aguero’s story because she too has lived it. Read also: Long Wait Brings Focus to Restrictions Born in Texas and raised in Mexico, she came back to Texas where her family made a living traveling as migrant workers. She refused to […]
Blurred Border Boundaries
May 8, 2014 by
Immigration expert and Texas Tech University professor Miguel Levario, Ph.D., said if there is a decrease in immigration and deportation numbers, it is most likely due to our economy, as immigration waves pattern economical ones. “The blanket statement is that this is a national policy, but if you look at the enforcement of that policy, […]
