La Casa celebrates 30th anniversary of support

IU can be an intimidating place if people of your culture only make up 2 percent of the student population. This is the situation for many Latino students at IU and one the Latino Cultural Center wants to help alleviate. \n"The Latino Cultural Center is truly 'La Casa' to us because it does become a home for us," said sophomore Liliana Garcia, vice president of Gamma Phi Omega International Sorority, referring to the Spanish word meaning "home."\nLa Casa is celebrating 30 years of educating and supporting both Latino students and the greater University community this year. The anniversary celebrations also coincide with the Latino Alumni Reunion. \nLillian Casillas, La Casa director, said this was fitting because many of the alumni were integral in making La Casa the center it is today.\n"A combination of different people touched and worked to make a success of La Casa," Casillas said. \nThe anniversary was commemorated formally by a luncheon and a banquet Sept. 27. The theme of the anniversary was the "Past, Present, and Future of La Casa." It was a chance for both students and alumni to interact. \nThe anniversary included comments by IU-Bloomington Chancellor Sharon Brehm and representatives of IU's Latino faculty. The focus was not on the major speakers, but on a community dialogue sharing personal experiences about IU.\n"The best part of the banquet were the reflections from alumni and current students on their IU experiences," Casillas said. \nThe 30th anniversary will also be commemorated by an exhibit highlighting the many contributions by Latino students and faculty to the University. The committee producing the exhibit is still in the research and development stage of the project, but it said it hopes to have the exhibit ready for the spring semester. The exhibit will be presented at a yet-to-be-determined location on campus. \nThe contributions of Latinos are notable in the University community. Many Latino alumni said they were happy to see their projects still part of the University. \n"It gave them the sense that the University has valued their input," Casillas said. \nLa Casa offers a number of different ways for students to get involved in its mission of educating the University on the Latino culture while supporting Latino students during their time at the University. At least 11 other student organizations exist under the umbrella of the Latino Cultural Center, including the Puerto Rican Student Association and the Latino Dance Group, which combine both educational and social activities. \nLa Casa also brings widely known Latino speakers to campus. \nThe Latino Cultural Center recently hosted Sonia Monzano -- "Maria" on "Sesame Street," to talk about her experiences as a Latina in the world of the arts. The center also offers personal academic help and career advising for students. \nBut Garcia said she feels the staff at La Casa is what makes it special.\n"The people are the greatest resources at La Casa," Garcia said. \nThe organization has a number of goals for the future, including a better outreach program to the larger campus community. Most of the students presently benefitting from La Casa programming are Latinos.\n-- Contact staff writer Jessica Dalsing at jdalsing@indiana.edu.