Annual events to promote academic diversity and raise community awareness of the Hispanic culture include fall and spring social gatherings. These events are open to the entire campus community. A few events during the 2016-17 academic year are highlighted here.
The Hispanic Heritage Council presented the movie A Day Without a Mexican on Wednesday, April 5, 2017. An introduction was presented by Hilario Molina, who also led the post-viewing discussion. Molina's expertise is in social demography, critical race theory, Latino/a issues, and immigration.
The film is a commentary on the importance of immigrants in today's society. When a mysterious fog surrounds the boundaries of California, there is a communication breakdown and all Mexicans disappear. This affects the economy, as the state stops working and misses the Mexican workers and dwellers.
The spring celebration, Fiesta Latina Culture Night, was held on Saturday, April 15, 2017. The evening was also sponsored by the Latino Student Organization (LaSO) and featured music, dancing, and authentic Latin food.
In addition to the group's programming, monthly meetings are held during both the fall and spring semesters. The Council works closely with LaSO and the Office of Social Equity. For further information about the Council, please contact Marjorie Zambrano-Paff at Marjorie.Zambrano-Paff@iup.edu.