MSC 06 3910.

Mesa Vista Hall 1160.

1 University of New Mexico.
Albuquerque, NM 87131.
Phone: (505) 277-3716
women@unm.edu

Mr. Robert G. Frank.

President of The University of New Mexico.
MSC 05 3300.
1 University of New Mexico.
Albuquerque, NM 87131.

Dear Mr. Frank,

We, at The Womens Resource Center (WRC) of the University of New Mexico
(UNM), are requesting 850$ in order to initiate a campaign of awareness about the
stereotyping of Latin women on campus. After the realization of an analytical report, our
results showed that this is an issue that affects the way Latin women are treated on
campus, and that can often lead to unwanted incidents.
In order to address the matter and create awareness, we would create a campaign
based on the realization of workshops, and publicity around campus. So we are requesting
the funds in order to start the campaign.
This approach will constitute a great opportunity to make our campus a safer and
more including environment for everybody. By educating others we can surely reduce the
number of incidents regarding the matter and also set a great path for our bigger goal of
equality.
We truly appreciate your consideration on reviewing our proposal, and hope all of
the details have been made clear. Please do not hesitate on contacting us if you have any
further questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Mara Jos Gil.
Womens Resource Center Program Assistant.
El Bosque, Tamarindo Street, I20.
MajoGil95@unm.edu

MSC 06 3910.
Mesa Vista Hall 1160.
1 University of New Mexico.
Albuquerque, NM 87131.

Project requesting funds: Educational Campaign to avoid Latin women stereotypes on campus
Project amount: $850
Board of Directors: Caitlin Henke, Nandi Baldwin, Mara Gil.

Dear Mr. Frank,

Introduction
Since 1972 The Womans Resource Center has been a safe and inclusive place at
The University of New Mexico. We focus on providing education and awareness
associated with any problem women in our society may face. We are committed to work
with anybody who is seeking help or information, mostly regarding topics like race,
ethnicity, sexuality, and even class. Topics that are usually treated as ways of oppression
towards women. Our mission is to try to create a better community on campus by using
a feminist model of empowerment, with the main goal of gender equality.
This projects objective is to help create a better and more inclusive environment
for Latin women on campus, using an educational campaign in order to do so. We plan to
solve problems regarding the stereotyping of Latin woman on campus, subject that has
been the cause of many incidents. Since this problem is highly associated with the way
media portrays Latin women, we plan to address it in a similar way, by handing out flyers
around campus, carrying out workshops, setting up information stations and making use
of social media.
By using this means we will try to broadcast helpful information that will seek to
educate students on why stereotypes about Latin women should not in any way, interfere
with the way people treat or interact with them. Hopefully by doing this, awareness
concerning this subject will be attained, and therefore incidents will be reduced and even
eradicated.

Current Situation
The Spring 2016 Official Enrollment Report of The university of New Mexico,
Albuquerque Campus, shows that there are 25,299 students currently enrolled in
activities at the university (Office of Institutional analysis). If we narrow this by taking
gender and ethnicity into consideration, the results demonstrate that 4,316 of the total
students are Hispanic women. These group of students, just like the rest, commute to
campus almost everyday and have to encounter all kinds people, regardless of gender,
age or ethnicity. However, Latin woman also have to face racial incidents, and they are
mostly originated because people are not educated or highly exposed to stereotypes.
In a recent survey carried out by our Programs Assistant, at the universitys main
campus, a sample of 53 people were interviewed. The first two questions of the survey
were:
1. What is the first thing/word that comes to your mind when you think about Latin
women?
2. How would you describe the stereotypical Latin Woman?

Figure 1: Compilation of words gathered for questions 1 and 2.

To which people replied with a series of word, which turned out to be repetitive at
the end, proving that clear stereotypes about Latin women encountered by society. Figure
1 shows the most obtained responses to questions one and two, they are organized in
order of repetition, the words bigger in size where obtained the most.

The survey included two more questions. Question number 3 was mostly trying to
show the relationship between the media and the words previously obtained:

3. Where did you get this image from?

WHERE DID YOU G ET THIS I MAGE FROM?

Media

Hear around

Personal experince

6%3%

91%

Figure 2: Graph for question 3

However, question 4 is more related to our current situation, and it shows the reality
of what Latin woman go through:

4. Do you think Latin women tend to be treated differently because of this

image/stereotype?

DO YOU T HINK LATIN WOMEN TEND TO B E TREATED

DIFFERENTLY BECAUSE OF THIS I MAGE/STEREOTYPE?
Yes

No

15%

85%

Figure 3: Graph for question 4

This results clearly illustrate the issues Latin woman have face while trying to
commute on campus. But also, from these numbers, two Latin women were interviewed
and asked about the incidents they have encountered regarding stereotypes, (see
appendix A). These serve as even more proof of how extensive and dangerous the
problem is, and why it should be immediately addressed.
It is of great importance that this problematic is attended because one of the main
concerns of the university should be to assure the safety of all of its alumni. And even
though some people may think this problem might not be as important as others, we need
to remember that the incidents resulting from stereotyping can often be qualified as cases
of violence, assault, racism and sexism. So we should work our best to entirely eradicate
them.

Project Plan
We want to approach the issue by creating an awareness and educational campaign
that will hopefully reach those on campus, and help avoid incident. These goals can be
achieved by following these steps:

Step 1: Flyers and posters.

Since our project consists of a campaign, we think that one of the most effective
ways to reach people would be by handing out flyers around campus (see appendix B
for a potential flyer model). These flyers will serve three proposes. First, they will
include a meaningful message regarding the current situation and why it should be
avoided. This message will seek to create an impact, educate and create awareness
about the problem. Second, it will have information regarding the workshops that will
be carried out about the subject. Finally, it will invite students to take part in the social
media part of the campaign.
Poster will be a bigger version of the flyers, and they will be strategically placed
around campus in order to reach those students who dont get a chance to obtain a
flyer.

 Step 2: Workshops.
Organize a series of workshops that will touch the subject more in depth. These
workshops will be carried out in one of the lectures halls of the university and will
have special guest and experts on the field. Also, volunteers will be involved in the
organization and logistics of the events.
One thing that works as a great incentive for college students is free food.
Therefore, by providing free refreshments at our workshops and advertising it in the
flyers we hope to encourage more people to come to the workshops and learn about
this very important cause.

Step 3: Information tent.

UNM students are familiarized with these tents or information points. They are
usually placed in front of the Zimmerman library, since this is a very transited location.
In previous occasions, the Womans Resource Center has used this tactic for other
purposes, therefore the center owns a tent. Not having to rent one lowers the total
cost of the project. In these tents, volunteers will hand out flyers and answer questions
about the cause, also they will be encouraged to assist the workshops and even
volunteer. In order to get peoples attention, we will be giving away pens, with
campaigns hashtag #UNMUnitedForLatinas. (See appendix C)

Step 4: Social Media campaign.

As we all know, one of the best ways to broadcast information and get the word
across nowadays is by using social media. A great strategy to spread the word about
our cause will be to create Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts. We will share
information, pictures, and news using these means. But most importantly we will
encourage people to to share their stories, comments and pictures using the hashtag
#UNMUnitedForLatinas. This way we will create a network that will hopefully reach
others even if they did not have access to the flyers, workshops or information tents.
This tactic will not only reach UNM, but other colleges as well. This might encourage
them to follow our steps and spread the campaign even further.

Qualifications.
As mentioned before, since 1972 has been involved in several campaigns and has
provided education about the oppression of woman, not only to the UNM alumni and staff,
but all of those who are in need of help, counseling, and support. Currently, we have a
highly qualified team that will help this campaign be a success.
Caitlin Henke, our program specialist, has a Bachelor of University Studies from
UNM and a MA in counseling. She also has a license in Mental Health counseling. She
became part of the WRC in 2007 and has since worked in numerous projects. Caitlin is an
activist and one her main goals is to promote social justice and eradicate violence against
women.
Nandi Baldwin is our Graduate assistant, and she currently organizes the Womens
Leadership and Mentorship Program. She has a bachelors in Psychology from the
University of Minnesota, and she is passionate about education. Nandi is currently a
Masters student at UNM, hoping to get licensed in mental health counseling.
Mara Gil our program assistant and creator of the campaign, is a sophomore at
UNM with a 4.10 G.P.A, seeking to obtain her Bachelors in Nuclear Medicine. She is a
feminist activist and strongly believes in gender equality. She has recently joined our
staff, but has a background of social work, volunteering and teaching. To see more
information about Mara, please visit appendix D in order to find her resume and contact
information.

Costs and Benefits

Costs

Flyers: Unit = $0.04. 1000 Flyers = $40.

Posters: Unit = $4. 35 Posters = $150.
Free food: 1 workshop = $200. 3 workshops = $600.
Pens: Unit = $0.34. 150 Pens = $51.

Tent: $0.
Workshop location: $0.
Social media campaign: $0.

Total: $841 $850.

Benefits
This campaign will be beneficial in many ways to all parties. First of all, it will be
beneficial for the Latin women alumni, since by creating awareness about the problems
they face, many incidents can be avoided and they will feel safer and more integrated on
campus. It will be beneficial for other students, because they will have the opportunity to
learn about other cultures, and the stereotypes they should avoid. This way they will not
be involved in any confrontations regarding our main subject. Lastly, it will be beneficial
for the University because this campaign will create a safer and more inclusive
environment on campus, this is a priority to both the students and the university. Also,
the online campaign will help create a better reputation to UNM. If the movement reaches
others through social media, this might result in more people wanting to apply to UNM,
because of the steps we are taking towards safety and equality. Additionally, if other
universities hear about the campaign, they might want to join the cause and start a similar
process of awareness. This will create a chain of benefits and will give UNM a great
status.
Thank you for taking our project into consideration. If we get the funding needed,
we will put all of our effort and best energy into making a successful campaign, and reach
our goal of education, awareness and eradication of incidents regarding the stereotyping
of Latin women on campus. With this project we seek to move one step closer to equality
and make our UNM campus a safer, and more inclusive place.
Sincerely,
Mara Jos Gil.
Womens Resource Center Program Assistant.
El Bosque, Tamarindo Street, I20.
MajoGil95@unm.edu

Appendix A
Interview to a 23-year-old Venezuelan female. UNM Student.
Since I moved here when I was little I dont have an accent; people usually think Im
American. But when I tell them Im Latina the say things like: Oh but you dont look
Latina, you are quiet and shy, you dont act like a crazy Latina like if Latinas had to fit
in that I have an attitude because Im Latina stereotype; what even is considered a
crazy Latina? I have even heard things like: Oh you are Latina that is so exotic I am not
exotic; I am a human being.

Interview to a 21-year-old Ecuadorian female. UNM Student.

Once I was at a souvenir store in Old Town and everything was going great until my
friend started speaking Spanish to me. The owner, a white man maybe in his 50s, heard
us switching to Spanish and then told us that his store had expensive things, for people
with money. He repeated the word money a few times before he kicked us out of the
store

Appendix B

Appendix C

Appendix D

Resume Review Sheet

Students name: Maria Gil
Your Name: James Bevins
Your Profession: Air Force/Nuclear Engineering
Date: 31Mar16
Please list three things that this resume does well:
1. Clearly delineates the information Maria wants to get across. Organized,
consistent format in a readable font that draws the eye to key information.
2. No fluff, easy to assess the resume without having to decode what their
background and experience actually is.
3. Contact information is clear and identifiable.
Please list three things that this resume can improve/add (especially according to
conventions of resumes in your discipline):
1. The overall style of the format is inappropriate for resumes in the science and
engineering fields based on my experience. While appealing in general, it gives
off an impression of non-professionalism.
2. The amount of empty space from the format can be viewed as a sign of limited
accomplishments, instead of just a stylistic approach. In general, Id rather see
additional details on the resume than white space.
3. In general, I see resumes written towards a position in particular. I.e. they try to
emphasize skills and experience relative for the job. Not sure if that is applicable
here. In a more general academic CV, again as used in my field, there would be
additional sections like publications (if any), research interests, etc.

Thank you!

Works Cited.
Official Enrollment Reports. :: Office Of Institutional Analytics. The University
AAAof New Mexico, n.d. Web. 15. Apr. 2016.