‘Historic moment at UCI’

UC IRVINE — Administrators and professors celebrated the founding of UCI’s new Department of Chicano/Latino Studies on Wednesday evening, as the campus held an inaugural reception at the campus’ University Club.

During the two-hour event, Vice Chancellor and Provost Michael Gottfredson, social sciences Dean Barbara Dosher and department chair Louis DeSipio were among those making remarks to the four dozen attendees.

The department received official status as a department in June, but Wednesday’s event formally recognized it for the first time.

“It’s a historic moment at UCI,” Gottfredson said. “It would be a historic moment anywhere.”

According to department manager Stella Ginez, the program started as a minor in 1993 and became a major in 2001. Interest in the classes grew to the point where around 2,000 students enrolled in them last year. The department offers courses in Chicano and Latino history, as well as politics, art, literature and immigration issues.

In addition to classes, the department sponsors a resident theme house in the Arroyo Vista student housing complex and awards an annual scholarship named after history professor Jeff Garcilazo, who died in 2001. At Wednesday’s reception, the organizers invited patrons to make donations to the scholarship fund.

The Ballet Folklorico de UCI dance troupe gave a short performance, while attendees at the University Club snacked on hors d’oeuvres and fruit. DeSipio presented a special plaque to the founding chair of the department, Leo Chavez, whom he said had been instrumental in getting recognition.

Chavez, in a short speech, said the department had been a dream since he joined the faculty 20 years ago.

“What’s happened over the last 20 years was the development of a base of people who really had a commitment,” he said.

DeSipio said the department has 67 majors. In addition, Dosher noted, the classes in literature and other subjects would attract students from numerous fields of study.

“I think that it has an implication beyond the growth of majors,” she said. “There are a large number of students on campus who will probably take classes as part of their broad undergraduate education.”