by Jaclyn Roco
Staff Writer
A lunch was held in the Quad Sept. 20, to celebrate Latino Heritage Month.
The Latino Student Federation, Associated Students Federation (ASF) Forum and Aramark (the campus food service provider) coordinated the event.
The University of La Verne’s Multicultural Affairs Director Daniel Loera, said that the event was designed to celebrate the independence of Central America and Mexico.
These countries were celebrating the “kicking out of Spain,” he said.
Another reason for the university’s celebration was ULV’s desire to do “something multicultural in nature so as to not be redundant.”
Each sponsoring organization did its part in making the event a success.
Dining Services Director, Greg Marer credited his staff who did far more than order food.
Julia Marr, a marketing intern for Aramark, for the past two years studied the preparation of authentic ethnic food as well as its presentation.
“I helped the catering staff do the tables and linens,” Marr said.
“I also advertised for this event and worked with Greg and Sandy Cane with suggestions for food,” she said.
She added that besides having a relationship with most of the clubs on campus, her job included accepting “constructive criticism from the students.
“My job is to get any suggestions from the students to see if we’re improving,” Marr said.
Junior Falone Serna, who attended the lunch, said he enjoyed the choice of chicken fajitas, rice and fruit.
“It was better than Davenport usually has,” he said.
Besides Aramark, LSF and ASF worked to create awareness of Latino heritage.
“They’re engaging communities on issues of diversity and providing information on who they are,” Loera said.
These efforts included hiring a Mariachi band that played for the event.
To make all ULV students feel they were part of a community, ASF paid for the commuters to eat lunch.
Serna said this community effort was evident during the luncheon.
“They were trying to reach out to the La Verne community, not just to the Latinos,” he said.
The luncheon was supposed to be celebratory.
But Loera admitted that putting on a pure celebration was a challenge in the “midst of these times.”
Speakers from both clubs spoke of the terrorist attack in New York and and Washington, D.C. and offered prayers for the victims.
They also emphasized the importance of multiculturalism. This added a somber tone to the event.
Other Latino Heritage Month celebrations include a back to school bienvenida dinner and a fiesta.
Loera said he hopes that these events will encourage all faculty, staff and students to get to know each other and to learn how to work in a community.
“We are hoping to do something multicultural as a resolution,” Loera said.
