Building a unified community

Like many students, Elizabeth Garcia came to Penn from New Jersey. But her real roots lie in Colombia.

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"As it is right now, it's hard for the Latino community to be a community," Wharton sophomore Sabrina Harvey said. "First, we're so small, and second, we're scattered." In the fall of 1999, La Casa Latina opened its doors to the campus and has been trying to find a solution to those problems. The resource center offers academic and social support for Latino students -- as well as a meeting spot for events. "We bridge the gap," La Casa program coordinator Rubi Pacheco said. "I think what students originally wanted was to have a home away from home, and that's what it [La Casa] serves." Students pushed for the creation of this center on campus and ultimately received administrative support. The Latino Student Coalition, which is composed of two representatives from each of the 16 Latino student organizations, was instrumental in the founding and growth of La Casa. Located in the ARCH Building on 36th and Locust, La Casa now provides meeting facilities for some of these student organizations. Two of the most active Latino student organizations are ACELA, Asociacion Cultural de Estudiantes Latino Americanos, which is predominantly Latin American students, and MEChA, El Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan, made up of predominantly Mexican American students. These committees serve a variety of functions, including co-sponsorship of events, organization of programs and academic support. Both these groups were formerly part of the United Minorities Council, but in 1998 they withdrew because they felt the UMC could not effectively represent them. Students who are involved in these groups say they feel linked by their common purpose --working on issues that affect Latino student life. "For me, ACELA is a support group, because it's hard coming to a large University where we make up such a small percentage, so it's easy to get lost in the mix," ACELA President and College junior Esmeralda Serrano said. "It's a way to keep in touch with who I am, with my background, my culture," she added. And Nancy Calderon, Nursing senior and MEChA president, said, "I don't mean to sound cliche or stereotypical, but there is definitely a connection among Latino students, especially those who are active in student groups and other community activities." An awareness of Latino culture has also been developing in recent years. The hugely popular dance group Onda Latina was founded in 1996 as a means of educating the Penn community about Caribbean and Latino culture through dance. And the celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month at Penn, which lasted from the end of September through the last week of October, consisted of a variety of activities and events sponsored by La Casa, the Latin American Cultures Program and other Latino student groups. But despite these successes, many Latino students seem to feel they are still lacking a real sense of community. Awareness has increased overall, but centralization remains an issue. Students expressed their hope that the new full-time director will strengthen La Casa as the core of the community, which will serve as a unifying force. Serrano also discussed the idea of a Latino dorm in the future, which apparently has gained some student support. "A lot of us feel that as freshmen we're so spread out," Serrano said. She added that the desire for the dorm is "not to be exclusive, but just in order for us to build a bond in the beginning of our academic careers." Others students, such as Elizabeth Garcia, do not support this initiative. Garcia currently lives in the Latin American Residential Program in Harnwell College House. She is a member of the Latino dance group Onda Latina and spends much of her time with other Latino students. However, having lived in Hill College House her freshman year, Garcia said she values the experience of living with students from a variety of different backgrounds and geographic origins. Wharton sophomore Fernanda de Azevedo described the same tendency, however unintentional, to migrate toward students with similar backgrounds simply for reasons of comfort. On the whole, Latino students at Penn seem to echo Garcia's comment that "since there are so few of us, we tend to cling to those that are like us."

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