(November 27, 2012) - Students in journalism, broadcasting and Spanish classes at East Tennessee State University have again collaborated to produce the 13th edition of the bilingual news project El Nuevo Tennessean.

“This magazine brings together multiple constituencies across the campus and in the surrounding area who span a broad range of personal, cultural, and professional experience to create a truly unique news source for the region,” said Dr. Amber Kinser, head of ETSU’s Department of Communication. “It is one of our department’s most significant contributions to our community.”

El Nuevo Tennessean is online at www.etsubilingualjournalism.org. On the site, students from Shara Lange’s Video Film Techniques class interviewed Juan Chiu, host of radio station WETS-FM’s Sunday-evening show “Ritmo Latino;” Maria Hernandez, a student active in the Boys and Girls Club; and Pedro Flores, an ETSU student and artist. Adrienne Hendon, a 2012 Professional Communication graduate of ETSU, managed the website.

Both online and print editions of the magazine feature a lead story on immigrants serving in the U.S. armed forces. Other articles address families separated by borders, families caring for aged members, religious-worker visas for church leaders, the consequences of drinking and driving and the mechanics of getting a visa.

The interdisciplinary project tapped the talents of 37 students from several programs at ETSU. In addition to Lange’s class, four other classes took part, three from the Department of Communication. Mary Alice Basconi’s In-Depth Reporting class researched and wrote the stories and provided photography. Katrina Heil’s Applied Spanish: Introduction to Translation class in the Department of Literature and Language served as cultural consultants to student reporters, and also created Spanish versions of each article. Mary Alice Basconi’s Copy Editing class provided editing, and Martha Milner’s Newspaper Design class created page layouts.

“This interdisciplinary project allows ETSU students to get out of the classroom and learn first-hand about the diversity of cultures in East Tennessee,” said Dr. Ardis Nelson, founding editor of the project and director of the LCRC. “The El Nuevo Tennessean celebrates that diversity and shows appreciation for the contributions of our Hispanic community.”

Graduate student Julia Ledesma de Rusiñol of the LCRC edited the Spanish version. Martha Milner, design instructor and adviser to the East Tennessean, directed the layout. Lakeway Publishers of Morristown contributed printing and distribution.

The project was the first bilingual publication in the region when it began in 1999 with a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. It has published continuously through collaborations with newspaper publishers throughout Northeast Tennessee.

El Nuevo Tennessean was created with two purposes: to inform the Spanish-speaking community about services and resources in the area, and to inform the resident population about the culture and contributions of the Hispanic population.

The bilingual newspaper project allows students from various fields of study to enhance their communication ability and research skills. It has fostered partnerships between the university and the community, and has been a language tool in area classrooms. Other programs have been developed in association with El Nuevo Tennessean, including the Applied Spanish Minor academic program, which institutionalized community outreach.

The magazine is available free at markets in Northeast Tennessee and through ETSU’s Language and Culture Resource Center, 219 Campus Center Building, ETSU, telephone 423-439-8342.