La Voz Magazine has decided to pull its fall issue after receiving widespread negative feedback from students.

The decision was made by the magazine and Latino Undergraduates Creating History in America without any pressure from faculty or members of the administration, said Lesley Quiroz, senior editor of La Voz.

She said the issue, which focused on “ratchet” culture — including twerking — was intended to comment on a topic that the magazine felt was “controversial and current” enough to be considered a major part of today’s generation. She added that La Voz wanted students to see “ratchet” behavior as open for interpretation and as something that could be problematic despite its popularity.

The magazine plans to hold an open forum to encourage dialogue on the topics presented in the issue.

Angie Toribio, editor in chief of La Voz, said the magazine’s true position on “ratchet” culture could have been clearer, since some students felt the intended satire and criticism weren’t obvious enough.

“I think they understood it as if we were commenting on a specific culture, when in fact it is a generational culture that has allured young people from all backgrounds,” she said.

Student commentary and criticism of the issue first appeared on Twitter, she said. Though the negative feedback received the most attention, Toribio said several students understood La Voz’s intentions and felt it was a “good issue” that made them question their own behavior.

Still, many students felt strongly enough about the fall issue that they took to social media and other outlets to voice their concerns.

Nicasha Martin, a senior health and exercise science major, wrote in a Nov. 21 Daily Orange Letter to the Editor that she felt the issue disrespected the African-American community. She said she was upset by the magazine’s choice to showcase “one negative aspect of the African-American community,” adding that the image on the magazine’s cover was “degrading and disrespectful to all women.”

Martin said the issue covered no Latino current events, writing, “I’m all for La Voz opening its voice to non-Latino readers but this was a voice better kept silent.

“If your goal was to help the SU student body ‘stay away from being perceived in a negative light’ you failed,” Martin said. She said that after reading the issue she felt “ashamed to be a part of the black community” and disrespected by La Voz’s choice to showcase such an “inappropriate matter.”

Though twerking and the other topics in the magazine are considered taboo by some, Rebecca Reed Kantrowitz, interim dean of the Division of Student Affairs, said the students in La Voz were aware of that fact and were intentionally trying to get SU students to think about images in the media and society. She said everyone will have their own response to such a controversial issue.

“I think when any of us are in an underrepresented population, there are times when people hold a mirror up to you and sometimes you laugh and say, ‘this is characteristic,’” Kantrowitz said. “Then there are other times when you are not going to laugh and think this is a stereotype that is perpetuated and is really negative.”

Kantrowitz said the university’s STOP Bias website sometimes receives reports in which students say they are upset with what they see in student media. She said few students actually bring their concerns to the editors of student publications, so she applauded the students who spoke out about their disapproval.

Kantrowitz said she believes the editors were thinking entirely about the student body when they pulled the issue.

“When they were trying to weigh what was important, they didn’t want to further hurt their fellow students,” Kantrowitz said. “In the media, it can sometimes be one way communication, so by pulling them out of circulation and then asking to have conversation is a very wise move.”

Along with removing copies of the magazine from campus, La Voz issued a statement to the campus community in which it apologized for the magazine’s content and detailed its reasoning behind featuring “ratchet behavior.”

“Our shared goal is to empower and we all agree that is where we, no matter our intentions, failed in the execution,” La Voz said in the release. “We admit we made a mistake in publishing this material and we humbly ask that you accept our sincerest apologies.”

James Duah-Agyeman, director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs, said he respected and applauded La Voz’s decision to pull its fall issue, adding that he feels most faculty and administration support any instance where students can come together to exchange ideas and educate each other.

Said Duah-Agyeman: “My hope is that there will be truly meaningful dialogue where each side seeks, not to be understood, but to understand.”

Published on December 1, 2013 at 11:57 pm

Contact Annie: apalme05@syr.edu