La Casa Latina, Spanish for “the Latino House,” opened in early June as a resource center for the Latino community at Portland State, as well as an educational facility for all students interested in Latino culture.
La Casa Latina, Spanish for “the Latino House,” opened in early June as a resource center for the Latino community at Portland State, as well as an educational facility for all students interested in Latino culture.
The center is a product of the ¡Exito! (Spanish for “success”) initiative, a task force designed to locate and assist the growing number of Latino students enrolled at Portland State. A primary aim of the task force was to create a place where integrated services and classes could be made available for Latino students.
According to PSU President Wim Wiewel, the Latino population is growing very rapidly in the Portland metropolitan area. Currently, PSU’s Latino population makes up about 7 percent of the student body.
“As a university, if we are going to live up to our mission to serve the city, we will see an increase [in the Latino population] and we had better notice that increase or else we will not be doing our job,” Wiewel said.
Latino students at PSU needed a place where they could preserve their cultural identity, according to Wiewel. La Casa Latina is meant to be a safe, relaxed environment where students from any ethnic background can come to study or explore a culture that is quickly becoming more prominent on campus.
The newly renovated space in Smith Memorial Student Union, room 229, that houses La Casa Latina reflects the vibrant Latino culture with its bright wall murals. Artwork created by students from all over the Portland metropolitan area was commissioned and designed to represent Latino culture.
Chief Diversity Officer Jilma Meneses explained that the purpose for spaces like La Casa Latina is to bring out the inclusive side of a different culture.
“The students that created the artwork also created the statement, ‘You belong here at PSU, no matter what you look like or where you come from,’” Meneses said.
The motto for Global Diversity and Inclusion’s new “U Belong” campaign is: “Diversity is something you see, but inclusion is something you feel.” The “U Belong” campaign was created to enforce a sense of community by recognizing the many diverse groups that are represented on campus at PSU, and to ensure that PSU can and will become more diverse as the campus develops.
La Casa Latina is expected to grow quickly, and its supporters hope it will eventually expand.
“I hope it becomes a terrifically vibrant place, which students will seek out as a safe place. I want to see it become a hub for students from all backgrounds to come together, help each other and learn about the rich Latino culture,” Wiewel said.
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Hurray for Portland State! Lead the way.