Students give their takes on recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month at U.

With October being Hispanic Heritage Month, the University planned several events to celebrate across its campuses. Multiple students shared their thoughts regarding the University’s efforts to recognize the heritage.

The events included a welcome reception hosted by the Center for Latin American Studies and a “Celebrating Our Roots” event which was held for students by the Latino Student Council to recognize the diverse identities within the Latino community.

On Tuesday, a screening of the film “El Especial” was presented by the Center for Latino Arts and Culture in partnership with the Department of Latino and Caribbean Studies. 

Jaylynn Cardona, a School of Arts and Sciences graduate student, said she thought the Rutgers—Newark campus was more successful than the Rutgers—New Brunswick campus in celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month. 

“I think in New Brunswick, those events are not promoted enough on campus and feel as if they sound forced more than natural to celebrate this month,” Cardona said. “Newark is doing a better job to have more events.”

Cardona said the events would be more enjoyable if marketed better. She said she would find the celebrations of the month more exciting if the University were to host events that educated the community about more aspects of Latino cultures, such as incorporating different foods from Latino countries into the events.

Andrea Jimenez, a School of Arts and Sciences senior, said that the University only holding three events on the New Brunswick campus was not enough to celebrate Hispanic and Latino culture. 

“I think it would be cool to have prominent Hispanic/Latinx figures come and speak on campus,” Jimenez said. “I’m Mexican and Indigenous, and festivals and parties are a huge part of my culture, so it would be cool to have a real celebration like that.”

Jimenez also said she thinks the University needs to do better at advertising the events being held on campus. She said that she was not aware that any events were being held in the first place.

“Having other departments spread the word would be a good way to get events like this spread around,” she said. “Rutgers definitely has the money and resources … I think also having an actual festival that’s not just put as Douglass’ responsibility, but a festival actually held and sponsored by Rutgers would be really cool.”

Ania Valle, a Rutgers—Camden senior, and Agny Valle, a School of Arts and Sciences senior, both said they were unaware of the events taking place and that they had never attended a Hispanic Heritage event in their prior years at the University.

Agny Valle said that with the overall New Brunswick community being predominantly Latino, it is very important to know and be respectful of the surrounding areas that the Rutgers campuses reside in.

“It would be nicer to have events that are more informational about the history of Hispanic culture and more interactive from that sense,” she said.

In regard to how the University can improve spreading awareness of its events for Hispanic Heritage Month, Agny Valle said she would like to see the University display more advertising, such as putting flyers and posters around campus. She said Rutgers should promote the event as they would with larger events that see larger turnouts.

Ania Valle said it would also be helpful for students if the University showcased vibrant events within the Hispanic community, such as the Day of the Dead. She said this holiday is very important in the Mexican community.

Additionally, Agny Valle said to increase the campus’ recognition, the dining halls could become more involved with observing the culture this month as well, as food is a significant part of Latino culture. She said the dining halls could hold a similar event to MidKnight Breakfast and showcase varying Hispanic cuisines to celebrate.

“It can be helpful and beneficial to everyone to have other people come and embrace our culture and get to know how it's done as long as it's done properly,” Agny Valle said. “I think it would be probably nicer to also have an event that gives more information on the history of Hispanic culture and is more interactive in that sense but also educating people further.”