CLACS hosts meeting on Venezuelan welfare - Hispanic interests becoming prevalent at Univ.

www.redandblack.com News By KATIE REETZ Published , January 29, 2003, 12:00:01 PM EDT

Students will be encouraged to jump right in to a roundtable discussion concerning the current crisis in Venezuela this afternoon.

"The whole purpose of the event is to educate the community about international events," said Paul Duncan, Program Coordinator for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CLACS), who is sponsoring the event.

Since Dec. 2, Venezuela's economy has been crippled by a nationwide strike initiated by opponents of President Hugo Chavez.

The strike involves tens of thousands of people and has reduced the country's oil production capacities, resulting in shortages of gasoline and fuels.

Today's discussion is titled "Polarization and Deadlock: Roundtable Discussion of the Venezuela Crisis," and will be led by two University professors with experience in the area.

Carolina Acosta-Alzuru, an assistant professor of public relations, is a native of Caracas, Venezuela and previously taught at the Universidad Catolica Andres Bello there.

Acosta-Alzuru specializes in cultural studies, international communication and women's studies.

Acosta-Alzuru said her talk will focus on the media's role in the crisis. Additionally, she hopes that students will realize how lucky they are to live in a stable environment.

"I want students here to realize their privileges -- in Venezuela the universities are closed and students' lives have been disrupted," she said.

David Smilde, an assistant professor of sociology who lived in Venezuela for six years, currently is working on two research projects involving the country.

Smilde said he hopes the discussion will get at the root of the crisis and clear up any confusion surrounding the situation.

The current disruptions in Venezuela cannot be attributed to an individual but have more to do with outdated political parties and systems, Smilde said.

"I would like people to see that Chavez is neither a savior nor a devil," he said.

The event will take place at noon today at 290 S. Hull St. and is free and open to the public.