University of Oregon: Celebrating Latinx Heritage at Oregon

Celebrated from September 15 to October 15, Latinx Heritage Month or Hispanic Heritage month (official government designation) honors the contributions and importance of Latina/o/x Americans. It is a time to celebrate the many diverse cultures of people with heritage from Mexico, the Caribbean, South and Central America, and Spain.

Here at the University of Oregon there are many opportunities for students to make connections and find community, including clubs, associations, the Latinx Studies program, and for first-year students, the Latinx Academic Residential community (ARC).

Latinx Heritage Month 2022 at the UO logo

For the whole campus community, there are ample opportunities to learn more about the linguistic, cultural, and academic contributions Latinx people have made—and continue to make—to our university, city, state, and nation.

According to Audrey Lucero, associate professor in sociocultural studies in education and director of the Latinx Studies program, the Latinx minor is growing. Now in its third year, the number of students has doubled.

“The minor began in fall 2020, and so far, 51 undergrads have declared it, including ten who were able to add it late in their undergraduate career and have already graduated,” she says.

“Our goals for the coming year are to get more students involved in research opportunities through our LTNX Studies Experiential Learning Fellowships, and to do more outreach to local high schoolers who may be interested in Latinx Studies,” she says. “We also hosted out first SAIL camp this summer, and it was a big success.”

The Latinx ARC (Comunidad de Latinx Scholars) fosters cross-cultural understanding through a positive and supportive space for first-year students, helping them ease their transition into college life at the UO. The ARC, which started in 2019, stemmed from the advocacy of members of the Latinx Strategy Group who developed a proposal addressing the need for community-building among undergraduates who identified as Latina/o/x. It continued to operate throughout the pandemic, serving as a major social and academic support for first-year students.

Although building and sustaining community was a major challenge during COVID, Lucero says more in-person events are being planned to bring the community back together on a more regular basis.