As a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI), Fresno State is hosting multiple events to celebrate its Latino/a students, staff and faculty for Hispanic Heritage Month.
In order to be designated an HSI by the U.S. Department of Education, a university must have 25% of its student population be Latino/a and/or Hispanic. Fresno State more than doubled that requirement in fall 2021, with 56% of students enrolled identifying as Hispanic and or Latino/a.
Faculty, staff and students celebrated the designation during HSI Week in its event “¡Adelante!: Envisioning Our Next Century of Service y Excelencia” on Thursday, Sept. 15. Fresno State President Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval opened the event with a speech.
“[When I came in 2000 to Fresno State] we were successful in telling our Latinx students, ‘We welcome you and you belong here at Fresno State. This is your university,’” Jiménez-Sandoval said. “Now [the challenge is how] we will retain you and then graduate you so that you can then go into these communities and become the leaders that we all desperately need.”
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Students who missed “¡Adelante!” won’t have to wait long for another chance to celebrate.
La Bienvenida is the main annual Hispanic Heritage Month event celebrated at Fresno State, considered a “Fresno State tradition” by Fresno State News.
This year La Bienvenida will be held on Sept. 21 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Memorial Gardens in front of the Kennel Bookstore featuring entertainment, DJ music and a resource fair including student clubs and organizations.
Attendees are encouraged to wear cultural attire to share their culture with other attendees and to RSVP now.
On Friday, Sept. 23, Latino/a Programs and Services and the Amendola Family Student Cupboard will present a “Salsa and Salsa” event from 2 to 3 p.m. in Family Food and Science Room 108, where attendees can take a salsa cooking class and explore salsa music from Latin America and the Caribbean. Those interested are encouraged to RSVP soon to reserve a spot.
Celebrations will continue in October with the events “Queering Mariachi” and “Decolonizing Your Diet: Embracing Latino Foods.”
“Queering Mariachi” is a virtual event presented by the Cross-Cultural and Gender Center (CCGC) that will be hosted on Oct. 6 from noon to 1:30 p.m. featuring two members of the first all- LGBTQ+ mariachi group in the world, Mariachi Arcoiris de Los Angeles. Attendees are required to pre-register for the event online.
Latino/a Programs and Services and the Amendola Family Student Cupboard will partner again to present “Decolonizing Your Diet: Embracing Latino Foods,” a virtual event, on Oct. 13 from 1 to 2 p.m. The event will include a “discussion on the decolonization of diet culture, reducing stigma and embracing traditional Latino foods,” according to its requested pre-registration via Zoom.