Rubén Martinez, Ph.D.
Acting Director

UTSA's Metropolitan Research and Policy Institute (MRPI) is a multidisciplinary research center that coordinates the resources of the university to address issues and problems that confront the Greater San Antonio metropolitan area. This includes networking with the public, private and non-profit sectors to identify issues and solutions.

Our goal is twofold:

1. to be a primary community resource for data collection, research and policy studies in the areas of health and the environment, governance, economic development, and social ecology and poverty; and
   
   
2. to interact with the larger San Antonio community in considering and evaluating present and alternative metropolitan public policies.

What has UTSA MRPI done for me lately

Issue Briefs -Policy briefs about specific urban issues affecting metropolitan San Antonio. They appear in sequential order based on chronology. Most of these briefs are based on original data collection from surveys conducted in San Antonio by MRPI Faculty Associates.

Downtown Lectures Series

• All Parts from Mexico: Assembled in the U.S.A.
  Novelist, Poet, and Writer Sandra Cisneros. April 2001. The lauded and sometimes controversial novelist, poet and writer of short stories gives voice to working-class Latino life in America. Her works include "The House on Liberty Street," "Woman Hollering Creek," "Bad Boys," "My Wicked, Wicked Ways," and "Hairs/Pelitos." Cisneros' books have been translated into 10 languages.
  While her writings are much celebrated, Cisneros also has been a college recruiter, an arts administrator and a teacher for high school dropouts.
  A San Antonio resident for several years, Cisneros received an undergraduate degree in 1976 from Loyola University in her native Chicago and an M.F.A. from the University of Iowa two years later.
• Welcome to the New World Racial Order.
  Howard Winant. Professor of Sociology. Temple University. Philadelphia, PA. Nov 2000.
• A New Century in Latino Politics: Finding our Voice in Year 2000.
  Tony Affigne. Political Science, Providence University, Providence, RI. October 2000.
• Gender Identity Politics in Bexar County.
  Christie Lee Littleton. Gay Pride Week. October 2000.
• Borderlands: The Socio-Political Dimensions of Gay Latino Community Formation in Greater Los Angeles.
  Dr. Lionel Cantú. Assistant Professor. Dept. of Sociology, UC Santa Cruz. Sep. 2000
• How are Recent Reduction Reforms Impacting Latino Students?
  Valerie Martinez-Ebers. Associate Professor. Dept. of Sociology. TCU, Dallas. July 2000.
• En esta comunidad ¿Quién es bien educado?
  Graciela Sanchez. Director and Co-founder of "The Esperanza Center." July 2000.
• The Wisconsin Idea: How Universities can work with Communities to
  Create Better Jobs.
  Dr. Laura Dresser, Director COWS, Wisconsin University. June 2000.

MRPI Lectures in Academic Year 1998-1999

• October 1998, William S. Koski and Henry M. Levin
  "Twenty-five Years after Rodriguez: What have we learned?"
  San Antonio, TX.
  
  
• April 6-7, 1999, Luis R. Fraga, Associate Professor, Stanford University, Department of Political Science
  
  
• April 30, 1999, Cherrie Moraga, Poet, University of California Berkeley.
  
  
• May 1999, Adela De la Torre and Aida Hurtado, Mexican American Studies forum.
  
  
• June 8, 1999, Herbert H. Richardson, Director, Texas Transportation Institute; Regents Professor and Distinguishing Professor of Engineering, The Texas A & M University System, Professor Emeritus, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "Transportation and the Texas Transportation Institute-An Overview."
  
  
• July 30, 1999, Josephine Mendez-Negrete,
  San Antonio Leadership Forum Series.

Major Reports/Activities

"The San Antonio Community Information System"
Planning Grant. Richard Harris, Principal Investigator.
With Alamo Area Council of Government.

"San Antonio Health District Disaster Preparedness Study"
September 10, 1999., Conducted for Metropolitan Department of Health-Environmental Division, September 1999, in conjunction with the City of San Antonio's Metropolitan Health Dept. Regional Public Health Natural Disaster, Preparedness Conference - Flood 98 --, Focus group research and analyses of regional crisis response teams involved in the Flood of 1998. Faculty Associate, John Bretting, principal investigator, with Richard J. Harris, Juanita Firestone and William Vega.

"Community Needs and Services-A Report to the Department of Community Initiatives, City of San Antonio"
April 1999. Juanita Firestone, Richard J. Harris and past-Director William Vega.

"Community Revitalization In San Antonio-A Report to Community Revitalization Action Group, City of San Antonio"
February 16, 1999. Richard J. Harris, Juanita Firestone, principal investigators, with Arturo Vega and John Bretting.

Publications by MRPI Faculty Associates:

• J.M. Firestone, R.J. Harris, M. Bollinger.(2000). "Changes in Sex Role Ideology Among Native Americans," Free Inquiry in Creative Sociology, 2000: 63-76
• L. C. Lambert, J. M. Firestone. (2000). "Economic Context and Multiple Abuse Techniques,” Violence Against Women: 6(1):49-67, 2000
• Vega, William A., Kolody, Bohdan, Aguilar-Gaxiola, Sergio, and Catalano, Ralph. (1999). "Gaps In Service Utilization by Mexican Americans with Mental Health Problems."
• Vega, William A., Alderete, Ethel, Kolody, Bohdan, Aguilar-Gaxiola, Sergio. (1998). "Illicit Drug Use among Mexicans and Mexican American in California: the Effects of Gender and Acculturation."
• Vega, William A. and Gil, Andres G. (1999). "A Model for Explaining Drug Use Behavior Among Hispanic Adolescents." Drugs and Society. 14: 57-74; also in Conducting Drug Abuse Research with Minority Populations: Advances and Issues (ed. Mario R. De La Rosa, Bernard Segal, and Richard Lopez) The Haworth Press, Inc. 57-74.
• Vega, William A., Kolody, Bohdan, Aguilar-Gaxiola, Sergio, Alderete, Ethel, Catalano, Ralph and Caraveo-Anduaga, Jorge. (1998). "Lifetime Prevalence of DSM-III-R Psychiatric Disorders Among Urban and Rural Mexican Americans in California," Arch. Gen. Psychiatry. 55:771-778.
• Lambert, Linda. C. and Firestone, Juanita. M. (1999). "Economic Context and Multiple Abuse Techniques, Violence Against Women.
• Firestone, Juanita M., Lambert, Linda. C. and Vega, William. A. (1999). "Intimate Violence Among Mexicans Americans: Correlates of Abuse," Journal Of Gender, Culture And Health.
• Firestone, Juanita M. and Harris, Richard J. (1999). "Predictors of High Risk Sexual Behavior among Individuals Living with HIV Disease and AIDS," Sociological Practice.
• Prindeville Diane-M. and Bretting John G. (1999). "Environmental Justice and the Role of Indigenous Women Organizing their Communities." Latina Gender Consciousness and the Environmental Movement in New Mexico.
• Prindeville Diane-M and Bretting John G. (1999). "Indigenous Women Activists and Political Participation: The Case of Environmental Justice," UTSA Hispanic Research Center Working Papers Series; WP-10.
• Shoho, Alan. R.(1999). Preface to "Twenty-five Years after Rodriguez: What have we learned?" By William S. Koski and Henry M. Levin). San Antonio, TX.
• Shoho, Alan. R., Katims, David., Meza, P. (1998). "The Alienation of Special Education Teachers." ERS Spectrum, 16, 18-23.
• Shoho, Alan. R., Katims, David., Wilks, D. (1997) "Perceptions of Alienation Among Students with Learning Disabilities in Inclusive and Resource Settings." The High School Journal, 81, 28-36.
• Merrifield, J., (1999). "Implementation Issues: The Political Economy of Efficient Fishing," Ecological Economics.
• Merrifield, J., (1999). "State Tax Revenue Determinants Revisited and Expenditure Determinants," Public Choice.
• Merrifield, J., (1999). "Groundwater Resources: The Transition from Capture to Allocation," Policy Studies Review.
• Merrifield, J., (1999). "Monopsony Power in the Market for Teachers," Journal of Labor Research 20: 3: 377-391.
• Merrifield, J., (1998). "Regional Policies for Gross Emitting Vehicles," Planning and Markets 1, #1: electronic, no page numbers.

Other MRPI Research Projects.

• Escuelitas Project: Hispanas Changing the Future. November 2000.
  Dr. Josephine Mendez-Negrete, Assistant Professor, Mexican American Studies, principal investigator.

• MC CREELESS Mall Survey. June 2000. This was a scientific poll regarding retail shopping in the San Antonio area. Principal Investigator Dr. Michael Gilbert, D.P.A.

• Community Revitalization Survey, November 1999.
  This survey sampled 1000 respondents (for a +/- 3.5 sampling error) assessing residents perceptions of issues and problems associated with both inner- and outer-410 loop urban living. Richard J. Harris, Juanita Firestone, principal investigators, with Arturo Vega.

• Spurs I and II Surveys, October 1999 in conjunction with San Antonio Express-News.
  These surveys measured consistent voters in Bexar County relative to their perceptions on building a new arena for the San Antonio Spurs. Drs. Richard J. Harris, Juanita Firestone and Arturo Vega, principal investigators.

• Public Transportation Surveys and Focus Groups, August and October 1999.
  These surveys measured San Antonio residents' attitudes toward public transportation needs, issues and prospects. Roberto Cavazos, Amy Jasperson, Richard Harris, Juanita Firestone, Michael Gilbert & Arturo Vega, investigators.

• Leadership Forum-Latina/os in the 21st Century San Antonio," in conjunction with KWEX, Channel 41, Univision Affiliate, July 1999.
  This forum brought together Latina/o community leaders in a focus group to identify individuals and events in the last century that left a lasting impact on defining San Antonio. Faculty Associate Josephine Mendez-Negrete, principal investigator, with Rodolfo Rosales and Arturo Vega.

• Urban Regeneration in San Antonio: Class of 2010-A Dialogue, in conjunction with Division of Bicultural and Bilingual Studies, March 1999.
  Generating a vision for the Latino Community and institutions of higher education in San Antonio. Drs. Ellen Riojas Clark and Armando Trujillo, coordinators.

• Chavez Survey, March 1999 in conjunction with San Antonio Express-News. This survey, conducted over a two and half day period, sampled over 600 respondents (for a +/- 4% sampling error) with reference to renaming the San Antonio International Airport Cesar Chavez Airport or renaming a major street after the late, farm labor and civil rights leader. Faculty Associates Richard J. Harris, Juanita Firestone and Arturo Vega, principal investigators.

• Lam Survey, November 1998 in conjunction with San Antonio Express-News.
  This survey measured people's attitudes and perceptions about the firing of San Antonio ISD Superintendent Diana Lam and confidence in the SAISD school board. Drs. Richard J. Harris and Juanita Firestone, principal investigators.

• "Twenty-Five Years After Rodriguez: What Have We Learned?" William S. Koski, Stanford University School of Law, East Palo Alto Community Law Project, and Henry M. Levin, Stanford University School of Education, Center of Educational Research at Stanford. Paper presented at the Forum on the Challenges and Opportunities for Funding Public Schools Equitably: Twenty-Five Years after San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriguez at San Antonio, Texas, October 15 & 16, 1998.

• The Real City, Fall 1998 in conjunction with San Antonio Express-News.
  A probability survey of over 5,000 San Antonio residents conducted during the Spring of 1998. The sample size allowed for city wide public opinion comparisons as well as comparisons by each of San Antonio's 10 city council districts. Seven issue briefs associated with this project Drs. William A. Vega, Richard J. Harris, Juanita Firestone, Michael Gilbert, John Bretting and Arturo Vega, co-investigators.

10 Faculty Associates

• John G. Bretting, Ph.D.
• Juanita Firestone, Ph.D.
• Michael J. Gilbert, D.P.A.
• Richard J. Harris, Ph.D.
• Amy Jasperson, Ph.D.
• Josephine Mendez-Negrete, Ph.D.
• John Merrifield, Ph.D.
• Heywood Sanders, Ph.D.
• Francine Sanders-Romero, Ph.D.
• Arturo Vega, Ph.D.

Staff

• James Codd