In a victory over opponent Joseph Garcia, Sandra Ortsman was elected SOLAS president.
Ortsman, a second-year master's student in the Latin American studies and the community and regional planning program, begins her term this fall. A third of LAS students cast their vote last week in the election.
As president of the Student Organization for Latin American studies, Ortsman said she would like to build a strong sense of community among LAS students and student organizations across campus.
"Since Latin American studies is an interdisciplinary field, I think that it can be difficult to get to know LAS students who are not in one's particular concentration," Ortsman said. "SOLAS happy hours and fiestas have provided many of us the opportunity to know one another. I would like to further contribute to building a strong sense of community among Latin American studies students, friends and families through social and community events."
Ortsman said the organization has a fair amount of visibility on campus, and she plans to get more undergraduate LAS students involved in the organization.
"I believe that undergraduate students could bring a lot of energy to organizing events," she said. "I hope to go to undergrad LAS classes and invite them to our events and meetings."
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Garcia said he is unsure of what his role in the organization will be, but he said he wants the upcoming year to be an opportunity to reinvent the Latin American Studies Department by working with its new director, Cynthia Radding.
"Here at UNM and specifically in Latin American studies, we have an opportunity to support a new director to create a stronger community by creating opportunities for students to be the most important resource at the LAII," Garcia said. "I firmly believe that students have been neglected and are given little opportunity to express ideas as to how their course of study should proceed."
Garcia is also a dual-degree master's student in Latin American studies and community and regional planning.
SOLAS promotes the study of Latin America on campus and in the Albuquerque community. Every Friday, the group sponsors brown-bag lunches at the Latin American and Iberian Institute, which feature a variety of speakers who address Latin American studies topics. The lectures are open to all UNM faculty, staff and students.
SOLAS also publishes a quarterly newsletter, Las Noticias Estudiantiles, which gives students the opportunity to write articles about their research, experiences or other events related to Latin American studies.
