By Linny Rousseau
Hispanic Heritage Month on Marian University’s campus has been lively and active despite restrictions from COVID-19 Guidelines. Students on campus have filled the month with food, dance, and celebration of diversity on campus.
From September 15th until October 15th, Marian University’s Student Organization of Latinos (SOL) and the Latin@ Leadership Initiative created an encouraging atmosphere for our Latin@ population on campus.
Manuela Higgins, Executive Director of Latin@ Leadership, spoke about the efforts in making this a year to remember regardless of the circumstances.
September 15th kicked off the month with an ‘Orange Day’ celebration at the Franciscan Heritage Fountain. Attendees all wore orange to promote the kickoff event. Higgins explained this as a “celebration of differences” in which campus could highlight all Hispanic cultures while being united as human beings. That united community atmosphere would continue throughout the month.
A popular hit on campus celebrating Hispanic Heritage was inside the Dining Commons. Every Friday, the featured meal was a dish that originated at different Hispanic countries such as Cuba, Mexico, and Venezuela. While they may have had to look beyond the plexiglass and limited seating, students could still share a meal with their friends and engage into the Hispanic cultures.
Other events held were The Oranging of the Fountain and Fiesta Latina. Both events were in the middle of Hispanic Heritage Month and highlighted diversity well. Fiesta Latina began with traditional Hispanic party games and ended with some more traditional food. This event allowed campus to celebrate Hispanic cultures in their own traditions.
Secretary of the SOL, Fran Cardenas, spoke about the growth in diversity Marian University has seen in recent years. She said that because of this; she has actually grown in her Hispanic roots. The junior Public Health and Social Work major has family from both Mexico and Honduras. However, she grew up in the United States and did not know much Spanish. Coming to Marian has allowed her to pick that skill up to speak with other students with Hispanic backgrounds on campus.
Higgins and Cardenas both encourage the people on this campus to get involved with Hispanic Heritage Month and beyond. Higgins said she wanted this to “become an institutional celebration.” They both want to see students of all backgrounds to attend events and learn about diversity.
To do so, students may take part in several ways. Following SOL on social media is a first step. Individuals can discover what is going on in SOL and other events on campus and off campus to celebrate Hispanic culture.
For those Spanish-speaking members of the community, SOL and Higgins have created a new page called ‘MU Latinos’ to connect Spanish speakers to the Marian University community. The page is all in Spanish to accommodate for those individuals.
Cardenas also noted that students can get on an email list to stay connected with SOL. To do so, they would need to email her at [email protected].
Students can see more on Hispanic Heritage Month and SOL on Connect.
