Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2008
HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH AT K-STATE INCLUDES ENCUENTRO 2008 AND SPECIAL CULTURAL EVENTS
MANHATTAN -- Highlighting Hispanic Heritage Month activities at Kansas State University will be Encuentro 2008 and several special cultural events. The theme of this year's celebration is "Building a Strong Foundation for Latino/a Higher Education."
Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs through mid-October, is organized by K-State's Hispanic American Leadership Organization, also known as HALO. The month is a time to celebrate the culture and traditions of U.S. residents who trace their roots to Spain, Mexico and the Spanish-speaking nations of Central America, South America and the Caribbean.
Events at K-State will include a movie night, at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 30, in the K-State Student Union's Forum Hall. The 1995 film "My Family" by Gregory Nava will be shown and admission is free.
A special "Day of the Dead" showcase will be in the Union display case Oct. 2-9. "Day of the Dead" is a traditional Mexican time to honor deceased family members.
Encuentro 2008 will be Thursday, Oct. 9. Encuentro features a day of educational workshops and cultural events for Latino/a students from across the Midwest. Also sponsoring the event are K-State's Hispanic American Leadership Organization, Office of Diversity and Dual Career Development and Student Governing Association, as well as Cargill and Koch Industries.
Keynote speaker for Encuentro will be Deborah Santiago, vice president for policy and research for Excelencia in Education. Her address will be 10 a.m. to noon in the Union Ballroom. Santiago has conducted extensive research on educational issues of Latinos in education and on institutional trends in student access. In addition, she has analyzed and developed postsecondary education legislation, policy and budgets for student financial aid and higher education programs.
Jon Wefald, K-State president, also will speak at Encuentro.
More information on Encuentro is available by contacting Mirta Chavez, director of multicultural programs and services in K-State's Office of Diversity and Dual Career Development, at 785-532-6276.
An iPod raffle, a K-State Hispanic American Leadership Organization fundraiser for Hispanic Heritage Month, is running through Wednesday, Oct. 15. Tickets cost $1.
The U.S. debut of the acclaimed photo exhibition, "Latidos de America" or "Heartbeats of America. Constructing Reasons to Walk Together," will be Oct. 15 at the K-State University Gardens on Denison Avenue. The exhibit includes 120 large-format images that will be placed on the fencing at the gardens. The images show the differences and particularities of each culture in Latin America.
The K-State Hispanic American Leadership Organization's Folklorico dance group, led by Cruz Rivero, K-State senior in management from Dodge City, will perform from 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Oct. 15 at the Fort Riley Conference Center. The performance is in conjunction with Fort Riley's observance of Hispanic Heritage Month. More information is available by contacting Sgt. Leroy Williams at 785-239-3379.
The Hispanic American Leadership Organization also will sponsor a "Loteria Night" from 6:30-9 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 16, at Union Station. Loteria is a form of Mexican bingo. The event will include music and door prizes. Admission is free and the public is invited.
Sources: Maria Teresa Martinez-Ortiz, 785-532-1923, mmtzotz@k-state.edu;
and Mirta Chavez, 785-532-6276, mirta@k-state.edu
News release prepared by: Beth Bohn, 785-532-6415, bbohn@k-state.edu
