Refering to Latinos in the United States can be difficult.

Difference between Hispanic and Latinos. 

Hispanic is a term used in the United States to refer to people who are from Spanish-speaking countries or Latin American decent.

Latinos are people from Latin America which includes Central and South America.

The key difference here is that "Hispanic" is a word imposed by the United States to categorize a group of Spanish-speaking individuals. Spaniards could classify as "Hispanics" if they live in the states but would not be be considered Latinos because they are not a part of Latin America but instead are a part of Europe.

Furthermore, not all Latinos speak Spanish. Brazilians are considered Latinos but they speak Portages.

From Latino, Latin@, to now Latinx.

Trends and ways to refer to Latinos has modified in different ways. Latinos to Latin@ mean the same thing except the at sign visually makes it so that Latino/Latina are used at once. The purpose of having both at the same time is so that neither gender is superior. However,  one can only pronounce one, either Latino or Latina when speaking.

Latinx, pronounced "la-teen-ex" brings a perspective. The word which ends in an "x" tries to be more inclusive and more gender neutral.

According to the website This is Not Latinx, "Latin@ is only the 'o' and the 'a', which is only masculinity and femininity, while Latinx includes people who don't identify within the gender binary and/or those who use gender neutral pronouns."

University of Maryland student Theresa Wambach also defines Latinx as an inclusive term for people from Latin American countries.



Theresa thinks that using the word Latinx is great idea. She says that it also allows people to reclaim their identity and share their history.

How Latinx is used



Individuals who are gender non-conforming are those who don't know where they stand. They don't identify as male or female.


Controversy over "Latinx"

Theresa is a student who would be open to using the term "Latinx," but there are some individuals who would prefer not to use the term.

Yvette Lerma is the Coordinator for Latin@ Student Involvement and Advocacy at the University of Maryland. Lerma says that there are some people or students who would be against the term "Latinx" because they don't want to feel different.



Lerma is lesbian and is married to her wife. However, Lerma does not use the word "Latinx" outside of her job environment. One of the reasons is because her family does not identify as Latino or Hispanic. They identify as Chicano.

Chicano are people born in the United States of Mexican origin.

The Free Dictionary defines Chicano as, "... a term of pride for many Mexican Americans, it remains a word with strong political associations stemming from the Chicano literary and civil rights movements of the 1960s and 1970s. Since these politics are not necessarily espoused by all Mexican Americans, and since usage and acceptance of this word can vary from one region to another, an outsider who is unfamiliar with his or her audience would do well to use Mexican America instead."

Lerma refrains from using the word "Latinx" at home or around her family, because she avoids talking about sexual orientations around her family.

Lerma says her mother does not accept her sexual orientation and in order to get along with her, she doesn't talk about it. Her father, grandparents and others do accept her sexual orientation but she rather not touch the subject.

The perspective of the "x" in Latinx

Rafael Padilla is against the usage of Latinx. He says that the "x" makes it unofficial.

Hispanic, Latinos, Latinx and Chicano all have different meanings.

These terms are different but allow a person to identify themselves as they see fits best. Not everyone, especially not every Latino is in agreement with one specific term.

Oliver Contreras is the Assistant Photo Editor at The Washington Post, he moved from Chile to the United States five years ago. Oliver says he didn't become Latino until he moved to the states.

"I became Latino in the USA. After that I was only one more Chilean guy. We don't feel Latinos unfortunately, I think geographically Chile is a little isolated... So, now as a Latino, I represent more people here rather than Chileans so, I have to be responsible for that and so something about it." 

When it comes to his job as a photographer, Oliver feels that he is responsible for representing the Latino community through his job. His perception and identity changed based on his living situation from Chile to the United States.

Change of place is what causes the different terms used to refer to Latinos. The United States uses Hispanics but not all want to be identified with a term imposed by the United States which refers to people who are from Latin American countries and who also speak Spanish. Not all Hispanics speak Spanish.

Chicano should also be used with people who identify with it. Not all Mexican Americans identify as Chicano. Often, people who do identify with Chicano find it offensive to be identified as Latino or Hispanic based off of the political disputes of 1960s and 1970s.

Identity allows individuals to present themselves in a way that allows others to see what they are made of and where they come from.

The Transfer 2 Terp program helpes transfer students transition smoothly to the University of Maryland

Transitioning from from one school to another can be difficult especially when a student decides to transfer to a big ten school like the University of Maryland, College Park. Incoming students at the University of Maryland come from different places, whether it's community college or a four-year university.

What is Transfer 2 Terp?

The Transfer 2 Terp program, also known as T2T began in the fall of 2012. It is a program designated to help students who transfer to the University of Maryland. Students interested in the program take EDCP 489, a three-credit course that helps students navigate their first semester at the University of Maryland, College Park. 

Transfer 2 Terp also helps students create mission statements of what they personally want to accomplish through out their educational career. 

T2T Panel

The Transfer 2 Terp program coordinator, Keya Burks organized a panel on Wednesday, October 21 and Thursday, October 22 where former T2T students answered the questions of current transfer students. 

The questions varied from, "What were some of the struggles that you had as a transfer student?" to "What advise would you give students who want to get involved on campus?"

Student speaker and former T2T student, Nino Guida said he struggled the first couple of weeks on campus because he didn't have a sure place to stay and his commute wasn't easy. 

Nino says that "it's easy to feel really small among all those students."   

Involvement is a key proponent of the T2T program. 

Engagement is an important factor of the program. The instructors of the program help students become experts in utilizing campus resources such as the career center, internships, campus activities and more.

Current T2T students says that he values getting involved within the campus community.

There's a difference between off-campus and commuting students.

Program Coordinator, Keya Burks says she loves the challenge and enjoys working with people who are vulnerable. She says, "people often think of immigrant students or foster care students. I look at commuting students as vulnerable because you go through so much."

Assuming that transfer students know less then the students who started at the University of Maryland is wrong, says Burks.

Smooth transition for Spring 2016.

The Transfer 2 Terp program is dedicated to helping transfer students smoothly transition to the University of Maryland. Registration for incoming transfer students for Spring 2016 will start in January 2016.

Students like the professional environment at the Philip Merrill College of Journalism

Research shows attachment and commitment in a relationship leads to online stalking of an ex

Breakups can be difficult and disheartening. Social media networks makes it even harder to get over a former romantic partner due to the hardship of separating from an ex online as well as off.

A research study conducted by Jesse Fox PhD and Robert S. Tokunaga PhD, says, "Persistent monitoring of a partner’s online activity is known as interpersonal electronic surveillance (IES). SNSs [Social Networking Sites] are commonly used to monitor one’s romantic partner or ex-partner."

Directly communicating with an ex is not necessary anymore. Social networking sites allow a person to engage in online stalking where all a person has to do is search for an ex's online profile, timeline or story on social media.

Curiosity leads to online stalking.

University of Maryland student, Taylor, says she has the curiosity to see what her ex has been doing since the day they separated.



Taylor is not the only student who has been curios, Lauren says she has also been curious but wants the certainty that her ex's haven't moved on without her.




Attachment plays a role in the need to constantly check on an ex relationship partner. 

There are different types of attachments that play a role in monitoring online updates of an ex. An individuals perception of self-worth leads to anxiety or avoidance.

Anxious attachment deals with a decrease in self-worth and generates feelings of uncertainty about relationships. Avoidance attachment deals with a decreased trust in others. This leads to avoidance in pursuing any future close relationships.

According to Fox and Tokunaga, "Attachment also predicts how individuals behave following relationship dissolution. Attachment avoidance is associated with minimizing contact with the partner, whereas attachment anxiety is associated with greater preoccupation with the ex-partner, higher levels of distress, and more frequent attempts to reform the relationship."

Attachment is not the only emotional bond that leads to online surveillance, dependency, investment, breakup initiation and commitment are also factors that influence monitoring of an ex.


Surveyed results showed a higher number of people who have stalked an ex, current partner, or both online.

According to a survey completed by 26 individuals aged, 18 to 44, 40% said they have not stalked and ex or current romantic partner online. 60% have stalked online an ex, current partner or both.

Juliana 22, says she wanted to find out if her ex was lying to her after contacting her again after the breakup. Distrust played a role in Juliana's online monitoring of her ex.



Alternative partners and investment in a relationship is associated with a form of attachment. 

According to the study, alternatives, such as alternative partners, and investment was positively associated with anxious attachment. Avoidant attachment was associated with alternatives but not associated with investment.

"Investment was positively and strongly related to commitment, whereas alternatives were negatively related to commitment. Higher levels of commitment were associated with increases in emotional distress after the breakup, which in turn predicted surveillance both immediately after the breakup and currently," as stated by Fox and Tokunaga.


The partner who initiates the breakup or those who say it was a mutual decision are less distress and less likely to stalk online.

Reasons as to why people engage in online stalking. 

When asked why they engage in online stalking, participants had different responses. Below are some of the answers.

College students prefer "goal-oriented" websites with easy to scan text format

Simple and informative is what college students are looking for in websites. Students are interested in obtaining detailed information without being overwhelmed by blocks of text, according to user advocate, Jakob Nielsen. Unlike teenagers who prefer engaging and pictorial form, college students prefer more “goal-oriented” websites that serve a purpose.

College students want to find informative websites that allow them to find what they are looking for without investing too much time on any given website. College don’t mind interactive website as long as it allows them to reach the intended objective. College students are able to differentiate between play and work, which permits them to focus and use websites as helpful tools.

Students appreciate text from “websites that are easy to scan.” They want information that is detailed and informative but simple to read. According to Jakob Nielsen, “students were frustrated by sites that provided shallow information. College students demanded more evidence than teenagers do.” Students do not believe everything they see online. Websites that failed to answer questions or lacked details is a turn-off for many college students according to the Nielsen.

            Multitasking is an activity that allows people to keep many website open at the same time. College students multitask by switching from site to site if one slows down or is unresponsive.  Students exhibit low patience according to Nielsen. If they find a website too busy or complicated, Facebook may be a better option for them.

            Age-appropriate content is also a desirable when creating websites. College students are “strong readers” and have “high literacy skills,” however, other groups such as older professionals obtain higher literacy skills than college students.

            While college students do acquire high literacy skills, this does not mean that students are “technology experts.” Students do not like to waste time on websites that do not offer “immediate payoff for their efforts.”

            Similarly, college students do not desire flashy or fancy designs when it comes to websites. According to Nielsen’s research study, college students prefer “clean and simple” than loud and busy websites.  Detailed, simple and informative information is sought from college students.

Social media is present when students multitask or search for online information. Different social media tabs are open when students search for information but students do not want everything on social media. Social media sites are linked to “private discussions” for students and not marketing or information gathering tool. Search engines dominate when students search for information. Although social media is used frequently by students, it is not a place where students “want to learn about a company, university, government agency, or non-profit organization.”

            Jakob Nielsen’s research study, “College Students on the Webs,” took 43 college students from four different countries to examine the practices that young adults aged 18-24 performed on the web. Out of the 43 students, 18 men and 25 women, researchers saw no international differences when it came to what students wanted and expected from websites. Simplicity and informative websites increases the attention of college students for a longer period of time.