Campus Connection

Annual gathering features over 60 research presentations, including a public discussion from a UWL professor

Scholars and professionals who work in Latin America, the Caribbean and with people and cultures from Latin America living all over the world will be taking in the La Crosse area this weekend. The North Central Council of Latin Americanists is having an annual conference at UWL Friday and Saturday, Nov. 4-5. Christine Hippert, Archaeology/Anthropology Associate Professor, is the president of NCCLA and is co-organizing the event. It features more than 60 paper presentations, performances and lectures, including three that are free open to the public. Among those, UWL Modern Languages Assistant Professor Omar Granados will discuss his research on Cubans at Ft. McCoy from 1:15-2:15 p.m., Friday Nov. 4, in Valhalla, Cartwright Center- Gunning Addition. The other conference events that are open to the public include the keynote lecture by Brendan Jamal Thornton from the University of North Carolina and a performance by De La Buena, an Afro-Caribbean Jazz band. Additionally, NCCLA will be awarding a local student group, Mujeres Orgullosas, their annual Award of Merit.  NCCLA's Award of Merit is offered to individuals and/or organizations in the areas of journalism, business, government, education, and the arts and humanities for outstanding achievement in bringing to the general public a greater awareness of the nations, peoples and cultures of Latin America. Mujeres Orgullosas is a Latina empowerment group with members from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, Viterbo, and Western Technical College, and focuses on collaboration through community engagement and specializing in primary and secondary student development and matriculation to college. The conference occurs during La Crosse’s Global Initiatives Week, a joint effort between UWL and other community groups highlighting the connections our region has made. The event is sponsored by UWL’s College of Liberal Studies Dean’s Office, Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, Department of Sociology, and the Institute for Latin American Studies, as well as the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies at the UW-Milwaukee through a U.S. Department of Education Grant.