Latino journalism students voice concerns
Lack of representation, no U-Md. NAHJ chapter
By Emily Hooper
Home of the Philip Merrill College of Journalism, the newly-built Knight Hall may be equipped with all the bells and whistles to launch a new era in journalism, but the school is still lagging, with no student chapter of National Association of Hispanic Journalists in sight, students say.
The lack of a student chapter on campus may be due to a small numbers of Latino journalism majors, according to Katherine Vences, a senior French and journalism major, who added that she sees very few Latinos in her journalism classes.
“Honestly, I know of four or five. In my classes, I really don’t see that many [Latino journalism majors],” Vences said. “There are so few of us, it seems the university doesn’t find it very
pressing.”
When the school had looked into establishing a chapter a couple of years ago, the NAHJ did not have student chapters, said Olive Reid, associate dean of the Philip Merrill College of Journalism, in an e-mail.
“If that’s changed, it would be great to have a student chapter here,” Reid.
Things have changed. NAHJ currently has 17 student chapters across the country, and even one in Puerto Rico. Yet, the closest meeting place to the University of Maryland is a professional chapter in W a s h i n g t o n D.C., and Vences is hesitant to attend meetings.
“I would feel weird going alone as a student,” Vences said.
Denisha Chase, junior broadcast journalism major, is treasurer of the Maryland Association of Black Journalists. Chase’s involvement with MABJ has had many benefits and created networking opportunities.
“I have had the opportunity to meet a handful of pretty prominent black journalists that have had ties to Maryland. I have gotten to become more connected with other African American journalists on campus that I may or may not have met
otherwise,” Chase said.
With no NAHJ chapter on campus, some Latino journalism majors miss out on opportunities to connect with other Latinos to share experiences, according to Chase.
“[For] a lot of things in society, race plays a role. It can be a beneficial role, and it can be a negative role. I think there is a difference between white journalists, black journalists, and Latino journalists based on experiences,” she said.
Vences believes that a student chapter could provide networking and internship opportunities as well as guidance for Latino students.
“Many of us have come from immigrant parents, we don’t have the same type of role models that other kids do,” said Vences. “We could have people who are in the actual field guide us through.”
There must be at least ten members before the NAHJ will certify the chapter, according to Paulo Luizaga, membership coordinator for NAHJ. However, membership in NAHJ is not exclusive to Latinos.
“Most people think that because we are a Hispanic organization, you must be of Hispanic origin, but you don’t,” said Luizaga. “There are many students who don’t classify themselves as Hispanic who are a part of our association.”
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