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Show StatesmanCampus News Friday, Nov. 20, 2009 Page 3 Hispanic workers given false stereotype, says CEO By SHANA SANDERS staff writer Marketing to the Hispanic community is becoming more important for a business to be successful, said the CEO of Agua Marketing at USU's Partners in Business Conference Thursday. Manuel Delgado, originally from Venezuela, founded Agua Marketing in 2003 in order to help his clients "grow and thrive in the Hispanic market." His company is based in Houston and works with companies such as Best Buy, Hewlett-Packard and the Boy Scouts of America. When asked about the company name, Delgado said, "Agua, water in Spanish, represents how we envision the Hispanic market. For centuries, oceans represented the biggest barrier for humanity. Dangerous and always changing. In the very same way, Hispanic markets can be challenging ... unless you embark on your journey with the right tools, knowledge and abilities to navigate to rich new shores." There are many false stereotypes that are perceived about the Hispanic culture, Delgado said. Some of these misconceptions are that all Hispanics are Mexican, uneducated, unskilled, lazy, poor and they crowd large families into small houses, he said. Demographics for the population of the United States show 66.2 percent white, 14.8 percent Hispanic, 12.2 percent black, 4.3 percent Asian and 2.5 percent of other ethnicity, Delgado said. There are 47 million Hispanics in the U.S. and half of them are white-collared workers that own a home and are considered middle class, Delgado said. MANUEL DELGADO Delgado referred to the idea of the United States being a melting pot of race and culture to being "more like a salad." There are many different cultures here in the U.S., but the cultures stand out and don't blend together all the time, Delgado said. Delgado gave what he called "five and a half tips for a business to more effectively market" to the Hispanic community. The half tip, he said, is to avoid stereotypes, and the first tip is to be aware of the culture. "At the center of the Hispanic culture is the family," Delgado said. "Saving for retirement is so alien to Hispanics." Families take care of each other and the role of the children is to financially take care of parents, they have respect for their elders, Delgado said. Hispanics also value work, traditions and friends, he said, it is important for businesses to "use cultural elements but with respect." For example, often when a Hispanic family wants to purchase a car, they will bring a large number of friends and family to come along and inspect the car, Delgado said. The dealership can accommodate these people by having a large, comfortable family-style room for them to wait in, he said. Next, Delgado said to use perfect Spanish, be aware of subtleties of the language and don't just translate. Chevy Nova had an ad run in Mexico, where the phrase "no va" means "doesn't go" and the car did not sell well, Delgado said. Thirdly, he said it is important to be branded. "When you find a brand you like, you are going to stick with it," Delgado said. The fourth tip is to not forget "the American in Hispanic-American." The U.S. is still the country of opportunity and many Hispanics were born in the U.S., Delgado said. Take the right approach and treat all Hispanics like they belong, he said. Lastly, act like you know what you don't know. Many companies choose to partner with Hispanic marketing agencies because these firms know how to better market to the culture, Delgado said. "At the end of the day it's not about white, brown or black, it's about green," Delgado said. — shana.sanders@aggiemail.usu.edu Athletics involve alumni through Varsity Club By CATHERINE MEIDELL news assistant writer The USU athletics department is seeking to reconnect with Aggie athletes of the past by creating avenues for current athletes to interact with them. To fulfill this goal, athletic directors have created the Varsity Club and recruited a group of previous USU sports team members in order to reconnect them with the student life they once knew, said Kent Stanley, senior associate athletic director of development. "A university is only as good as its alumni are," Stanley said. Members of the Varsity Club will serve as mentors to current athletes and assist students in career development. Stanley said he hopes the club will also benefit the athletics department financially, by creating fundraising opportunities through members of the club. He said 100 percent of his job entails fundraising for the athletics department and it is important he is always looking to expand the department financially. Each person who wants to join the club must pay a $100 membership fee. "So what we want is what a lot of universities around the country have already done, which is form an association of athletes of era and sports. We will bring together this large group and help athletes connect with each other and the university," Stanley said. He said Harvard University has the excellent reputation it does because of its graduates' success stories. Just like Harvard alumni, USU graduates have made themselves pronounced member of society financially -- in international affairs, in government systems -- through service and their thriving careers. Stanley said there are thousands of stories that need to be found. Alumni who are already members of the Varsity Club will direct the extension of invitations to more alumni through Twitter, Facebook and handwritten letters. "They want to know what happened to their former teammates, people who are like them," Stanley said. Along with the Varsity Club, athletics will involve prior athletes by featuring their stories in a low-cost electronic magazine titled "Overtime," Stanley said, a name created by one of his interns, Courtney Lewis. The premier issue will be available during the first week of December. He said over the course of the year he has met with more than 300 alumni, all interested in reconnecting with their USU past through the magazine. Lewis, Lacey Broburg and Dallin Koecher are three interns for the athletic department who have put the idea of the "e-zine" into action. Lewis said she the initial idea was to model the publication after the "Sports Illustrated" issues of "Where are they now?" "The publication is a great way for current athletes, as well as the general USU students, to learn about great leaders and athletes from the past and how their experiences at USU helped prepare them for success in their lives," Lewis said. The interns are in charge of writing the six articles published per quarter, spotlighting USU athletes from a variety of decades and sports. Lewis said generally it's difficult to contact the former athletes because most have become successful and now lead busy lives. Many of the athletes that have been contacted have not had anything to do with USU since their graduation, Lewis said, and are excited to become reacquainted with their past and share their story. "I think it is important to foster relationships with alumni, both on an individual level and to create better connections back to USU," she said. — catherine.meidell@aggiemaiLusu.edu Swing club benefit dance to restore Elite Hall By EMILY HOFERITZA staff writer The USU Big Band Swing Club is holding its third annual Elite Hall Benefit Dance Saturday at 7 p.m. at Hyrum's Elite Hall dance hall. Elite Hall first opened in 1917, built after the Hyrum Opera House was burned down. During the early 20th century, the hall was filled with dancers every Saturday night. "Dancers came from Idaho and Utah using the electric trolley system just to dance, then would go home the next morning," said Natasha Black, the swing club's Elite Hall coordinator. Now, Elite Hall, with one of the two remaining spring-loaded dance floors in Utah, is on the National Register of Historic Places. This saves the Hyrum building from being torn down, which was a concern to the community and the club a few years ago, but maintenance costs are threatening the regular use of the hall for its original purpose: a dance hall. The lessons begin at 7 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., followed by a dance from 8-11:30 p.m., said Erica Black, the swing club's fundraising chairperson. She said there will be performances throughout the night by USU's Swingcopation and Swing Set dance teams, as well as one of BYU's swing dance teams. There will also be competitions among dancers in solo Charleston and Lindy Hop. Music will be provided by the Larry Smith Jazz Combo throughout the rest of the night, Erica said. Erica Black said the expected turnout is at least 250 attendees. Dancers come from many different locations across the state, including Provo and Salt Lake City. In the past, dancers have even made the trip from Rexburg, Idaho, to show off their talents and compete. Erica Black said all proceeds will go to Hyrum for maintenance and preservation of the building. The 92-year-old building is important to both the Hyrum and swing communities in Cache Valley. She also said the hall ties to major events in many of Hyrum residents' lives, through dances and basketball games. In order to try to keep the hall open and used, the Big Band Swing Club holds dances, including lessons, on the first and third Saturdays of every month. Elite Hall is located on 83 W. Main, Hyrum, Utah. Tickets for the event are being sold Friday in the Taggart Student Center outside the USU Bookstore or may be purchased at the door at the event. Advance tickets are $8 per person or $15 per couple. Tickets at the door may be purchased for $10 per person or $18 per couple. "These benefit dances have made it so that the Elite Hall has been able to stay open and vibrant for not only the swing dance community but for the whole community to enjoy," Erica Black said. Briefs Campus & Community Peak awarded Utah Professor of the Year The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education have named Utah State University professor David Peak the 2009 Utah Professor of the Year. Peak was selected from more than 300 top professors in the United States. He was honored in a Nov. 19 ceremony in Washington, D.C. "David Peak's teaching genius has helped shape the education of countless undergraduates," said USU President Stan Albrecht. "His efforts in teaching, leadership and philanthropy, both here at USU and nationally, have heightened awareness of the importance of undergraduate research." Peak is a professor in the department of physics in USU's College of Science. USU is home to nine of the last 15 Carnegie Professors of the Year in Utah. Peak, who joined USU in 1994, was a founder of the National Council on Undergraduate Research, which was initiated in 1978. With his wife Terry Peak, a USU associate professor of social work, Peak established an endowment in 2008 to fund outstanding undergraduate research awards at Utah State. Past USU Carnegie Professors of the Year are: Lyle Neal, animal science; Bonnie Glass-Coffin, anthropology; Jan Sojka, physics; David Lancy, anthropology; Mark Damen, history; Sonia Manuel-Dupont, English; Ted Alsop, geography and Earth resources; and Frances Titchener, history. Credit unions launch food drive Six credit unions in Cache County are launching a joint effort to help make the holiday season a little brighter for local residents in need. The Cache Valley Credit Unions Holiday Food Drive kicked off with a press conference Thursday at Cache Community Food Pantry, 359 S. Main st., Logan. The managers of Cache Valley branches of Deseret First, America First, Mountain America, USU Charter, Logan Medical Federal and Logan-Cache-Rich credit unions will announce that their branches will serve as convenient drop-off locations for the public to donate nonperishable items for the Cache Community Food Pantry. Matt Whitaker, director of the food pantry, will also deliver remarks. Daniel Brownell, manager of the Logan branch of Deseret First Credit Union, spearheaded the food drive partnership with the other credit unions. "With the great demand the Cache Community Food Pantry faces this year, I thought that local credit unions should step forward to help out. But we can't do it without the help of the people of Cache Valley," he said. Theatre presents Issun Boshi" Dec. 1 USU's Caine School of the Arts presents Utah State Theatre's production of "Issun Boshi," the Japanese tale of Tom Thumb, Dec. 1 through Dec. 5 in the Morgan Theatre of the Chase Fine Arts Center. Tickets are available at the Caine School of the Arts Box Office in FA 138-B, 435-797-8022 or online and are $13 for adults, $7 for K-12 students and free to USU students with a valid ID. Issun Boshi ("Little One Inch") is the Japanese tale of Tom Thumb; a story of an elderly couple who wish for a child no matter the size. Issun arrives the size of a thumb and never grows any larger. He has many adventures, which are portrayed in the play. "This show is very playful," said director Nancy Hills. "The actors and the crew have had so much fun with this show. We hope that people have as much fun watching as we are having creating the show." — emily.hoferitza@aggiemail.usu.edu Utah Statesman photo illustration 11Compiled from staff and media reports |