Panel Discusses Roles For Latino Graduates

A panel featuring author Ruben Navarette, Jr. '90 discussed last night how Latino Harvard graduates can best serve their cultural community.

The event. sponsored by Raza, also considered that organization's role on campus. About 100 people attended the discussion.

Much of last night's discussion focused on whether it was better for Latino graduates to return to their home communities to instigate change or to pursue positions of societal leadership to further the Latino cause.

Panelist Veronica Rosales '94, former RAZA president, lamented the small number of Latinos attending college. She plans to return to her hometown.

"We have to take an active role in promoting education in our communities," Rosales said.

But other members of the discussion felt that Latino interests would be better served by pursuing public platforms, such as university faculty positions.

And Navarette warned students about the difficulty of following either of these options, citing predjudices in both the Latino and "white" communities.

Raza's role on campus also provoked discussion last night. Navarette's recently published book, A Darker Shade of Crimson: Odyssey of a Harvard chicano, criticizes Raza as ineffective and internally conflicted during his stay at Harvard.

"I expect you to take me to task for anything I have written," Navarette said last night.

But there was little hostility last night, and Raza president Xavier A. Gutierrez '95 said current members understoodthat Navarette was not targeting current members.

Gutierrez said the problems between 1986 and1990 could be attributed more to "personalityproblems" within Raza than to the organizationitself.

Some speakers also questioned Raza's relativeimportance compared to other campus minoritygroups.

Some panelists attributed this to the smallnumber of Latino students at Harvard, the dearthof Latino professors and the lack of a ChicanoStudies department.

Navarette said that of 50,000 Harvard Collegealumni in the United States, only 500 of them areMexican-American.

"This is not acceptible," he said.

Still, others suggested that if Raza were moremilitant, some of these deficiencies would becorrected. Several voiced a need to accompanytheir talk with action.

Despite some disagreements and frustrations,audience members said they were pleased with thedialogue.

"I'm optimistic and I hope something will comeof it," said Martin F

Gutierrez said the problems between 1986 and1990 could be attributed more to "personalityproblems" within Raza than to the organizationitself.

Some speakers also questioned Raza's relativeimportance compared to other campus minoritygroups.

Some panelists attributed this to the smallnumber of Latino students at Harvard, the dearthof Latino professors and the lack of a ChicanoStudies department.

Navarette said that of 50,000 Harvard Collegealumni in the United States, only 500 of them areMexican-American.

"This is not acceptible," he said.

Still, others suggested that if Raza were moremilitant, some of these deficiencies would becorrected. Several voiced a need to accompanytheir talk with action.

Despite some disagreements and frustrations,audience members said they were pleased with thedialogue.

"I'm optimistic and I hope something will comeof it," said Martin F