The UTRGV Civic Engagement Alliance (CEA) along with other organizations hosted the State of the RGV Conference via Zoom on April 19 and 20.
According to CEA’s V-Link page, the purpose of the event is to discuss topics such as legislation passed in Texas, diversity and inclusion in the Rio Grande Valley and job opportunities at UTRGV.
The conference was moderated by political science senior and Vice President of education for CEA Franklin White for both days. White started day one’s conference by explaining what the alliance is.
“We have one goal, and that is to improve the participation in the RGV. There are three areas of focus. One is voting, two, civic education and three is community engagement.”
After introducing the CEA, the conference moved on to a panel with moderator Jonathan Cruz who is also president of the Political Science Association and Associate Vice President of Governmental Relations at URTGV Richard Sanchez where they discussed recent decisions made in the state’s government.
One notable question that was asked was about House Bill 6 and Senate Bill 7 which have been called voter suppression bills due to them limiting early voting hours and forcing Texans to prove their disability to vote through the mail. Cruz asked Sanchez how this can affect the university community when they vote.
Sanchez replied by saying it will not be as easy to vote.
“If you are gonna impose a prohibition on something … it seems that it would cut into the efficiency for the actual practice of voting,” Sanchez said.
Another topic that was talked about on day one of the conference was diversity and inclusion in the RGV.
Moderated by White and environmental science sophomore Alonso Ponce, the diversity and inclusion seminar invited associate professor for political science Natasha Altema-McNeely and UTRGV alumna Denisce Palacios.
White asked McNeely how imperative it was for diversity to be recognized and for people to be open to it, she responded.
“When we as a society refuse to acknowledge these experiences or the characteristics that make us all different and unique, then we become a very close minded society.”
Palacios had a similar viewpoint.
“There should always be an openness, and if you ever refuse to listen to someone, it means you are refused to acknowledge knowledge,” she said. “You are closing yourself off to the possibility to learning something new.”
The second day of the conference had Assistant Director of Employer Relations Ronnie Garcia speak about the many resources the UTRGV Career Center offers students, such as online mock interviews as well as to help revising resumes, in order to help find a job after they graduate.
Garcia made sure to highlight the importance of finding a career to the students attending the event.
“It is good to explore and make educated decisions in regards to where can I see myself because your career; it’s all encompassing in your life and you wanna make sure you are happy where you’re at.”
For more info on any future events held by the CEA, visit their V-Link page.
