The College announced today the establishment of a Latino House at 38 North Main Street, the current location of the Office of Public Affairs.
The new house will provide a social space for students interested in Latin American, Latino and Caribbean Studies (LALACS) and living space for 10 to 12 students as well as a visiting scholar or faculty member.
Plans for the house are far from concrete, but La Alianza Latina member Sonia Price '99 said that students will meet with faculty members to discuss what the residence will provide.
The movement to create a social space for Latino students has been ongoing for 10 years, Price said.
Advisor to Latino/Hispanic Students Alex Hernandez-Siegel said, "We are grateful that we have gotten to this point."
The Latino House joins La Casa, the Native American House, the Cutter-Shabazz Center, the Asian Studies Center and the Francophone house as well as German, Italian and Jewish apartments, as an affinity residential house.
In addition to the social and living space, the Latino House may also provide a "smart classroom" for the LALACS department to educate the community about Latino students. Organizations such La Alianza Latina, La Alianza Latino and the latino fraternity Lambda Upsilon Lambda will have the opportunity to invite speakers and get students together, Price said.
Although La Casa was originally established in conjunction with the Spanish department, "it did not meet the needs of all Latino students, particularly since you have to speak Spanish to live in the house," Price said. "[La Casa] is more of an academic house."
