{"id":471,"date":"2017-04-26T17:28:17","date_gmt":"2017-04-26T21:28:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.ams.org\/inclusionexclusion\/?p=471"},"modified":"2017-04-26T17:28:17","modified_gmt":"2017-04-26T21:28:17","slug":"two-days-with-a-chicano-mathematician-bill-velez-visits-purdue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ams.org\/inclusionexclusion\/2017\/04\/26\/two-days-with-a-chicano-mathematician-bill-velez-visits-purdue\/","title":{"rendered":"Two Days with a Chicano Mathematician: Bill Velez visits Purdue"},"content":{"rendered":"

When I was in graduate school in mathematics at Stanford University, I was very politically active on campus.\u00a0 Not only was I an officer for the Black Graduate Students Association (BGSA)<\/a>, but I was an officer for the Chicano Latino Graduate Students Association (CGSA)<\/a> as well.\u00a0 I am not Latino, but the passion and political savvy of the Chicano culture piqued my interest into becoming part of this organization.<\/p>\n

Nearly twenty years later, I was able to bring \u201cChicanismo<\/a>\u201d to Purdue University by bringing William Yslas Velez to Indiana for a couple of days.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

What is this term\u00a0“Chicano”?<\/h2>\n

I must admit that I did not know what it means to be Chicano<\/a> until I entered graduate school \u2014 which is embarrassing for someone who grew\u00a0up in California to admit.\u00a0 I learned that t<\/span>he moniker “Chicano” is not synonymous with \u201cLatino\u201d or \u201cHispanic\u201d or even \u201cMexican American.\u201d\u00a0 <\/span>After a great many conversations with friends (who were very patient!) and great many hours reading the works of the late Tony Burciaga<\/a>, I learned that \u201cChicano\u201d is a political derivative of the Spaniards\u2019 mispronunciation the of the name of the native Aztec<\/span><\/a> people: the moniker should not have been pronounced \u201cmeh-HEE-cano\u201d but rather \u201cmeh-CHEE-cano.\u201d\u00a0 <\/span>So, by the very etymology of the word, to be “Chicano” is to be inherently proud of your past and to be politically aligned to focus on a better future.<\/p>\n

There are not many people today who are enthusiastic\u00a0to call themselves Chicano.\u00a0 <\/span>Indeed, this is a\u00a0term of disparagement in many circles, and\u00a0a t<\/a><\/span>erm of derision<\/a> in others. Now imagine working in a field\u00a0of science\u00a0— which is widely believed\u00a0to be free of any political discourse. \u00a0You can probably imagine that it is very rare to find individuals who are comfortable with the intersectionality of being a Chicano\/a and<\/em> a mathematician. \u00a0Regardless of what some would have you believe<\/a>, one can be both a scientist and an advocate of one’s political ideals.<\/span><\/p>\n

Intersectionality of Chicanismo and Mathematics<\/h2>\n

Perhaps the best showcase of this is the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos\/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS)<\/a>. \u00a0Founded in 1973 by a dozen or so men and women<\/a>, SACNAS seeks to increase the number of Chicano, Latino, and Native American students who\u00a0obtain advanced degrees, careers, and leadership positions in the STEM<\/a> fields. \u00a0This international organization now has over 20000 members, 110 student chapters, and an annual conference which hosts over 4000 attendees.<\/p>\n

I first\u00a0attended the SACNAS National Conferences beginning in the early 1990’s. \u00a0Since then, I’ve met Chicano mathematicians such as Alejandra Alvarado<\/a>, Rodrigo Banuelos<\/a>, Erika Camacho<\/a>, Richard Tapia<\/a>, and Bill Velez<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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SACNAS National Conference 2015: Alejandra Alvarado, Lynn Greenleaf, Edray Goins, Rodrigo Banuelos, Alicia Machuca, and Johnny Guzman<\/p><\/div>\n

These individuals are unabashedly Chicano — without fear of disparagement or derision. \u00a0\u00a0Each of them has a connection to Purdue University in one way or another: Alejandra and Rodrigo have been my colleagues in the Mathematics Department, whereas Erika and Richard have come to give talks. \u00a0But it was the most recent visit by Bill which\u00a0made a huge impact on the way I view myself and the world around me.<\/p>\n

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Richard Tapia’s “Math is Key” Lecture at Purdue in 2012<\/p><\/div>\n

Bill Velez, Chicano Mathematician<\/h2>\n

William Yslas Velez<\/a> is a fascinating person. \u00a0He is a fellow Number Theorist who earned all of his degrees — B.S., M.A., and Ph.D. — from the University of Arizona. \u00a0From 1992-1993, Bill served as a program officer for the National Science Foundation’s Division of Mathematical Sciences (Algebra and Number Theory<\/a>). \u00a0In 1997, Bill received the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM)<\/a>\u00a0from Bill Clinton<\/a>. In 1998, Bill was promoted to University Distinguished Professor of Mathematics at the University of Arizona<\/a>. \u00a0In 2008, Bill was named Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But from 1994-1996, before he won all of these well-deserved accolades, Bill Velez was president of SACNAS.<\/p>\n

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William Yslas Velez<\/p><\/div>\n

I invited Bill to visit Purdue for a couple of days (Tuesday April 11 and Wednesday April 12) in order to give a colloquium talk, meet with students, and provide advice for faculty on mentoring. \u00a0I thought I knew him well, but I was wrong.<\/p>\n

“I was the first Chicano to be hired in the mathematics department at the University of Arizona,” Bill likes to say. \u00a0“And I was the last.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I began to wonder: how many mathematics departments in the country have Chicano faculty? \u00a0More importantly: did my<\/em> mathematics department have Chicano faculty? \u00a0Certainly, Alejandra Alvarado had been a postdoctoral fellow. \u00a0And I was quite fortunate to call Rodrigo Banuelos my colleague. \u00a0But why are there not more?<\/p>\n

\"IMG_2996\"

Dinner in West Lafayette from 2013: Ryan Hynd, Edray Goins, Alejandra Alvarado, Rosa Banuelos, and Rodrigo Banuelos<\/p><\/div>\n

Day 1: Tuesday April 11<\/h2>\n

The two day adventure began with a sobering look at the circle of life.<\/p>\n

My colleague Rodrigo Banuelos and I met Bill first thing in the morning to have breakfast together. \u00a0\u00a0Here I was, having breakfast with two of my heroes, a scene which could be described as “two Chicanos and a kid from South Los Angeles” — although a better description would be “two Paladins<\/a> and a Padawan<\/a>.” \u00a0But even with the veneration\u00a0I had for these two distinguished mathematicians,\u00a0I did not realize that Rodrigo owed a lot to Bill. \u00a0See, Bill was one of the founding members of SACNAS, an organization which encouraged Rodrigo as a young man to pursue his dreams. Rodrigo, a distinguished mathematician and the former department chair who fought to help me get tenure at Purdue, was himself<\/em> in awe of Bill as well.<\/p>\n

Later that day, Bill gave a colloquium talk for our mathematics department. \u00a0Bill told the audience he was retiring at the end of the month, so this would be his last math talk. \u00a0He began by discussing how he applied to Purdue’s graduate school, but did not get in.<\/p>\n

\n

“It only seems fitting that I will give my last talk at Purdue,” Bill began. “See, Purdue denied me admission to graduate school when I was first starting out.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

I thought to myself, Bill is a University Distinguished Professor who wasn’t good enough to get into graduate school? \u00a0<\/em>But Bill shocked us further with other thoughts to ponder.<\/p>\n

“If you place your hand on the Vietnam Memorial, and draw a circle around it, you are guaranteed to enclose the name of someone Latino who died for this country.<\/p>\n

Now imagine you place your hand on a sheet of paper with a list of names of mathematics majors in your department. \u00a0How many of the enclosed names will belong to someone Latino?”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"IMG_7345\"

Bill Velez gives a colloquium talk at Purdue University on April 21, 2017<\/p><\/div>\n

How many Latino undergraduate students do we have at Purdue? \u00a0Quite literally, do we even have a handful<\/em>? \u00a0And why is this so? \u00a0And am I doing anything to change this, or am I simply contributing to the problem?<\/p>\n

Day 2: Wednesday April 12<\/h2>\n

The next day, Bill met with the Purdue SACNAS Chapter. \u00a0Can you imagine the excitement of meeting a former president and founding member of an organization which now hosts 20,000 members?! \u00a0The SACNAS\/LSAMP Coordinator Ignacio Camarillo<\/a>\u00a0welcomed Bill to an enthusiastic group of 20 undergraduates.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_7348\"

Bill Velez meets with the Purdue SACNAS Chapter on April 22, 2017<\/p><\/div>\n

“I’ve had a great life. \u00a0I have several patents. \u00a0A mathematician with several patents! \u00a0Oh, and one of them is with James Bond. \u00a0True story.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Bill began his talk\u00a0not with fancy titles, or even mathematics. \u00a0He began with mariachi music<\/a><\/em>. \u00a0Indeed, his brother Gilbert Velez runs a world-reknown group<\/a> out of Nogales High School called Mariachi Apache<\/a>. \u00a0Bill played a short movie which showcased the incredible talent of these high school students. \u00a0(And they are really, really good<\/a>.) \u00a0There is nothing like feeling the pride that swells when hearing a braggadocious singer holding a note longer than humanly possible, only to hear the\u00a0rallying cry of Chicanos everythere when someone in the audience does a\u00a0grito<\/a>\u00a0just right.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_7353\"

Bill Velez accepts a gift from Ignacio Camarillo on April 22, 2017<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

“This music is part of my culture, it is part of me,” \u00a0Bill said. “I am just so proud of who I am.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Epilogue<\/h2>\n

As I walked Bill back to his hotel room at the end of the day and ultimately at the end of his visit, I realized just how much I learned in two days about being both a mathematician and a product of your culture. \u00a0Bill had been unapologetic in who he was, Chicano and all.<\/p>\n

\n

“You know, I’m invited to lots of places to give talks,” Bill joked. “But I’m never invited back!”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

I comforted Bill that I personally wanted him to return, not just as a distinguished professor who has been feted by heads of state, but as a friend who loves life to its fullest.<\/p>\n

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When I was in graduate school in mathematics at Stanford University, I was very politically active on campus.\u00a0 Not only was I an officer for the Black Graduate Students Association (BGSA), but I was an officer for the Chicano Latino … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

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