University of Texas Hispanic Journalists in collaboration with the Latino Leadership Council published their first newspaper Friday to better meet the needs of UT's Latino community, said Mary Gonzalez, an ethnic studies senior and financial co-director for the Latino Leadership Council.
The newspaper is named Adelante, which is Spanish for "move forward." The first issue included news articles about Hispanic student enrollment, sections covering food and entertainment in Austin and a series called "check the box," which deals with the problems of ethnic identification in the context of standardized forms, such as on achievement tests and the census.
Philosophy and journalism senior Stephanie Sanchez and journalism senior Crystal Cantu,co-editors of the newspaper, spoke at Friday's launch party in the Multicultural Information Center.
"This started as a newsletter idea, something to keep the lines of communication open within the Latino student community on campus," Sanchez said. "This is a big achievement for two female students, something that was necessary, and we're very proud of it. It's a way to give the Latinos on campus a voice."
Gonzalez said involvement within the Latino community is the only way to correctly understand how different Latino student organizations work together. Hispanic students comprise about 14 percent of UT's student enrollment, according to the Office of Institutional Research.
"It's also a good way for us to let the administration know what's going on [in the Latino community]," Gonzalez said.
Philosophy senior Chris De Hoyos was one of about 75 students who attended the paper's launch party.
"Other articles don't really capture the essence of our community, our culture and what we stand for," De Hoyos said.
De Hoyos said Adelante was partially inspired by The Daily Texan's and other student media's lack of adequate coverage of the Latino community.
JJ Hermes, physics senior and Daily Texan editor, said he hasn't heard feedback or criticism from readers about Hispanic student coverage.
"I feel bad that readers feel we're not meeting their needs, but I haven't heard from them directly," Hermes said.
The paper has about 10 staff members who are also members of UT Hispanic Journalists, UT's chapter of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. The organization conceived the idea of this newspaper several months ago, then acquired funding and guidance from the Latino Leadership Council, Gonzalez said.
"The more the merrier. The more students feel like they can express themselves in journalism makes for a healthier campus climate," said Steve Reese, journalism professor and associate dean of the College of Communication.
The next issue will be out the first week of November and will be available in the MIC and in the Center for Mexican-American Studies, Sanchez said.
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