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Cambio Center News - December 2010

Did you know?
According to a report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Hispanic population in the U.S. has a life expectancy advantage at birth of 2.5 years over the non-Hispanic white population and 7.7 years over the non-Hispanic black population. The reasons behind the lower mortality are not known.
The report titled "United States Life Tables by Hispanic Origin," was issued last October by the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics. The report provides life tables by Hispanic origin based on 2006 death rate data.

Cambio de Colores 2011

SAVE THE DATE!   Our Tenth Annual Cambio de Colores (Change of Colors) Conference will be held at the Holiday Inn Kansas City SE-Waterpark in Kansas City, MO,  June 8-10, 2011.
Please refer to the conference website for additional details and updates. 

Research News

Project completion:  In September 2010, after four years of intense and ground-breaking original research, Cambio Center fellows Corinne Valdivia (Principal Investigator),  Anne Dannerbeck-Janku,  Lisa Flores, Steve Jeanetta, Domingo Martínez (co-Pis) , Pedro Dozi (graduate research assistant), and Alex Morales (research associate) completed "Asset Accumulation Strategies in 3 New Settlements Communities," the Cambio Center largest research project to date.

The project was possible thanks to a $416,000 competitive grant funded in 2006 by the former National Research Initiative (now Agriculture and Food Research Initiative—AFRI) of the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES), U.S. Department of Agriculture.  The final report will be submitted in December, 2010.  For information about the project and the research it has produced so far, please refer to the project’s publications list.

Kudos

Pedro V. Dozi, Cambio Center student fellow, successfully defended his doctoral dissertation titled “Impact of Social Networks on Well-being: Evidence from Latino Immigrants in Non-Urban Missouri” (Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics; Corinne Valdivia, dissertation advisor).  His research is based on data from the Cambio Center four-year project  Asset Accumulation Strategies in 3 New Settlements Communities (funded by USDA).  Pedro was the main graduate research assistant for that project, and he was in charge of organizing and conducting the field work.

In August, 2010, Pedro V. Dozi, Ph. D., Cambio Center fellow,  was awarded a postdoctoral teaching fellowship as part of the “Preparing Future Faculty / Mizzou Advantage” program.  Five outstanding recent MU Ph.D. graduates have received this recognition, which will allow them to teach and do research at MU for one year.

Grants Submitted by the Cambio Center

 

From Cambio Center Fellows

New  Courses - Spring 2011

Corinne Valdivia, Cambio Center fellow and MU's Agricultural & Applied Economics Associate Professor, is offering  “International Agriculture Development Policy" (AGEC 8430), Fridays from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., 320 Mumford Hall.
This course examines selected aspects of international agricultural economic development.  It will be particularly useful to those seeking a career in international development or work in a developing country context.  Students will become familiar with important concepts, theories, policies, and methodologies.    The approach in this class aims at building various professional skills, including critical thinking and discussion, writing, oral presentations, hands-on exercises, and the development of a paper, proposal or literature review.   
This course is open to MU graduate students.
Contact: Corinne Valdivia (Valdiviac@missouri.edu)  

Pedro Dozi, Cambio Center fellow, MU's Agricultural & Applied Economics, Preparing Future Faculty Postdoctoral Fellow, is offering  “Production, Consumption and the Politics of Food” (Ag_Econ 4301-01 &  Ru Soc 4301-01), Mondays and Wednesdays  2:00 - 3:00 p.m. , 146 Mumford Hall.
This course is designed to study the influences that current societal perceptions, technology, marketing and the general environment have on the food available and the ultimate well-being that it provides to people.  
The course is open to undergraduate and graduate students. Students in doubt may check with instructor for authorization.  (Flyer available) .
Contact: Pedro Dozi  (Dozip@missouri.edu)

The MU Difficult Dialogues Program is offering the first course on Difficult Dialogues: 
"Difficult Dialogues: Controversial Subjects in Higher Education"
ESCP 4087 Section 4, #25962 or ESCP 7087 Section 4, #25963. Thursdays 4:00 - 6:45 p.m.
106 Strickland Hall.
Difficult dialogues addresses the increasing social, intellectual and political divides in US society and promotes productive conversations when there are differences in opinions. Learn the techniques needed  to promote intellectual pluralism, as well as productive and healthy dialogues.
The course is open to MU undergraduate and graduate students.  (Flyer available)
Contact: Roger Worthington (WorthingtonR@missouri.edu) or Eryca Neville (Nevillee@missouri.edu)

2011 Columbia Values Diversity Celebration – January 13, 2011

2011 Columbia Values Diversity Celebration
The 18th Annual Columbia Values Diversity Celebration is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 13, 2011 from 7:00 - 8:45 a.m. at the Holiday Inn Select Expo Center.  The theme of this year’s celebration is “Unity in Diversity!”
Registration forms are available on the City of Columbia’s web site.  Please contact the Division of Human Services at 874-7488 (V) or 874-7356 (TTY) or ocs@gocolumbiamo.com with questions or for additional information.

Resources (Online)

Announcements

HHS Launches First of Its Kind Consumer Focused Website in Spanish
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services unveiled CuidadodeSalud.gov, the first website in Spanish of its kind to help consumers take control of their health care by connecting them to new information and resources that will help them access quality, affordable health care coverage.
In addition, the website connects consumers to quality rankings for local health care providers as well as preventive services.

Publications

Children of Immigrants Drive the Increase in America's Youth Population, but Almost Half Live in Low-Income Families
The Urban Institute has released a report  titled  "Children of Immigrants Drive the Increase in America's Youth Population, but Almost Half Live in Low-Income Families," that examines the consequences of parental arrest, detention, and deportation on children, providing in-depth details on parent-child separations, economic hardships, and children’s well-being.  The  Children of Immigrants Data Tool, an interactive web site updated with 2007 and 2008 American Community Survey data can generate customized graphs and charts for every state and the District of Columbia, showing statistics on 26 indicators. 

Structuring and Implementing an Immigrant Legalization Program: Registration as the First Step
By Donald M. Kerwin and Laureen Laglagaron, Migration Policy Institute
While comprehensive immigration reform may have moved to the back burner, Congress and the administration eventually are likely to revisit legalization as a serious policy option. This report, the first in a series on how to shape and administer an effective legalization program, argues that a registration process that rapidly identifies, screens, and processes potential applicants should be an essential first step to any legalization. The Policy Brief proposes intensive applicant screening and documentation requirements, describes the application process, and addresses the role of community-based organizations and other stakeholders in helping administer a successful program. (Download full report)

Top Languages Spoken by English Language Learners (ELLs) Nationally and by State
By Jeanne Batalova and Margie McHugh, National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy, Migration Policy Institute
The third fact sheet in a series from our ELL Information Center finds that while ELL students nationwide speak more than 150 languages, Spanish far outranks others as the most common first -- or home -- language. At the same time, although it is spoken in 73 percent of ELL students’ homes, Spanish is not the top language spoken by ELLs in every state.
(Download Fact Sheet )


Teen Substance Use Seems to Differ by Race
A new California study suggests that Hispanic middle-school students are more likely to smoke, drink and use marijuana than other kids their age, while Asians are the least likely to experiment with these substances. The study titled "Racial/Ethnic Differences in Adolescent Substance Use: Mediation by Individual, Family, and School Factors" was published in the September issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. Researchers studied 5,500 seventh- and eighth-graders at 16 schools in California. About one in four Hispanics said they'd consumed alcohol, compared to 21 percent of blacks, 18 percent of whites and just below 10 percent of Asians. 


Latest Pew Hispanic Center Publications

Latino Leader? The Job is Open (11.15.2010)
The Latino Vote in the 2010 Elections (11.3.2010)
After the Great Recession: Foreign Born Gain Jobs; Native Born Lose Jobs (10.29.2010)
Illegal Immigration Backlash Worries, Divides Latinos (10.28.2010)
U.S. Unauthorized Immigration Flows Are Down Sharply Since Mid-Decade (9.1.2010)