CORRECTION: In a previous version of this article, a quote was misattributed. Marcarthur Abelard spoke at the forum. The Daily Orange regrets this error.

As La Voz Magazine opened the forum regarding its controversial fall issue, moderator Bea Gonzalez, dean of University College, set the agenda.

“As we discuss, let’s aim to find not complete agreement, but a better understanding of each other as we look towards next steps,” she said.

The hour-long open forum, hosted by a panel of representatives from La Voz and Latino Undergraduates Creating History in America, drew a crowd of nearly 50 students. The forum addressed student concerns with La Voz’s controversial fall issue, which covered “ratchet” culture, including articles about twerking, jungle juice and “ratchet” fashion.

The panel consisted of Michael Roman, public relations chair for La Voz; Angie Toribio, editor in chief of La Voz; Harly Rodriguez, president of La L.U.C.H.A; and Abi Zambrana, vice president of La L.U.C.H.A.

Toribio opened the discussion by explaining the purpose of the issue.

“La Voz is here to be the voice for everyone, not just the Latino community. We want to be inclusive, and we chose this topic as it is present in our entire generation, not just our community,” said Toribio, who is also a staff writer for The Daily Orange.

Students raised initial questions about the cover, which featured a suggestive graphic of a woman’s backside. Some students felt that the image was disrespectful to women and in poor taste.

Roman responded saying that the image was intended to grab people’s attention and make students question why women are frequently portrayed suggestively in magazines. “Maybe some were offended and didn’t pick it up, but a lot more did,” he said.

But students such as Marcarthur Abelard, a senior, wanted to see changes in the future. “You sold your soul for the publicity,” he said. Several students agreed that they wanted to see La Voz spark a debate through more positive means in the future.

To this request, several La Voz representatives responded that more positive coverage has failed to gain students’ interest in the past. Penelope Vasquez, who previously worked on the La Voz e-board, said La Voz has held raffles and other events in the past, but students failed to participate.

“We did a great issue last semester about Latino traditions passed down from generation to generation, and nobody picked it up. Nobody has paid any attention until now. La Voz can only do so much, it’s also about you guys,” said Vasquez, a senior photography major, who is also a staff photographer for The Daily Orange.

But not all students were offended by the magazine’s cover or portrayal of “ratchet” culture.

“What the magazine did was point a finger and shine a light on things like twerking that we could all see at any party,” said Anibal Oller, a junior information studies major. “Instead of being mad at what they wrote and portrayed, we should step back and evaluate our own behaviors.”

The forum ended with the students coming together to pitch ideas for future issues of La Voz. The ideas included a redo of the fall issue, an issue featuring student responses and more communication between La Voz and La L.U.C.H.A.

Said Toribio: “I’m taking in all the discussions, and I’m also going to continue to cover controversial topics. Going forward we are going to establish better communications with writers and more closely measure our content.”

Published on December 4, 2013 at 1:34 am

Contact Lydia: lawilson@syr.edu