What to know
- Who can participate: Latine and Hispanic students or those who want to learn more about Latine and Hispanic cultures.
- Meeting days: Every other Tuesday (next meeting is Sept. 24!)
- Meeting time: 5:30-7 p.m.
- Meeting location: IMQ
About the club
NAU’s Latine Student Union (LSU) has worked to assemble, support and celebrate Hispanic and Latine students since 2018, amplifying the diverse cultures that embody the student population and crafting long-term community bonds. At their semimonthly meetings in the Office of Inclusion: Multicultural & LGBTQIA Student Services (IMQ), this group plans and executes community service trips, lotería nights, team-bonding bonfires and much more.
Q&A
LSU co-cultural chair Beau Arenas Ortiz, a senior studying visual communication, estimates the group had about 30 full-time members last semester. At their latest meeting, attendance spiked to about 70. Learn more about why Arenas Ortiz joined LSU, what the club has planned for this semester and how you can get involved in their upcoming events.
What activities does LSU do throughout the year?
Throughout the year, we have meetings every two weeks. At those meetings, we discuss activism, upcoming projects and popular culture events that may be happening. We also like to play games that are relevant to our culture to get to know more people and connect with them.
So, we’ve done board game nights, musical chairs. There is also this game that’s become a club tradition where everyone stands in a circle and one person stands in the middle and says something that other people might have in common with them. Everyone who shares that quality has to switch find a new spot. Whoever is left has to repeat the cycle. It’s a great way to get to know our members.
Sometimes, we do special events. We’ve done painting nights. We’ve done cooking nights, and during one of those, we made tortillas. We do field trips as well. I know for Halloween last year, LSU went down to Sedona to celebrate Día de los Muertos, which is a cultural event for Mexican people.
We’ll have officer meetings to decide on our group activities, but we also open the discussion up to everyone. We have a GroupMe with all the members, and if someone has a suggestion, they can share it with us, and we’ll take it into account.
How and why did you get involved with LSU?
I had a friend who I met in the Communication building. His name was Eric, and he told me about the Latine Student Union and convinced me to go to one of their meetings. He just told me it was a club for Hispanic students, so I didn’t really have a framework for what it was going to look like. It was pretty fun, though.
The officers introduced themselves and gave speeches, talking about problems the community might be facing or activism that we might be interested in participating in. After that, we just played a couple games, and that’s basically how a meeting goes now.
I’ve been a member for about three years. Last year, I started going more frequently and was eventually picked to be an officer.
It seems this group beautifully blends raising awareness for a plethora of Hispanic and Latine cultures and prioritizing team-building adventures like Sedona trips and bonfire nights. Why is maintaining an emphasis on community and coming together so crucial?
I think it’s important, especially for minorities who may not have a safe space or may not feel included within the larger NAU community, to have a place they can go to where they know they will be accepted and there are other people like them.
Each club organization on campus provides a space for every student to be involved. When we do collaborations, like with the Black Student Union, that opens those spaces so you can meet other people who may not be exactly like you, but you may still have something in common with.
I believe it’s important for everyone, including students at NAU, to have a wide worldview and experience other people, know about their cultures. Those collaborations provide that kind of experience.
What advice do you have for someone looking to join LSU?
Go check it out! If you don’t feel like it’s for you, then you obviously don’t have to come back. But I feel like most people do because it’s a fun place to be. It’s fun to be involved. Humans—we are a community species. We all need that community, and this is a great place to find it.
What is something you’ve learned over the course of your time with this club?
I’ve learned to have a wider worldview. Even if you’re connected with other people who may be like you, there are always some differences. If you connect with them, you’ll learn that those differences have to be accepted. It’s good to have differences in the world.
I was also a little bit shy as a freshman. I didn’t know a lot of people. That’s one more reason to come. You learn how to talk to people, be more involved and make friends.
What is something LSU has coming up this semester that you are looking forward to?
We are planning a couple of events, including a potential Posada night in November. Las Posadas is a Christmas tradition celebrated in various Hispanic countries involving food, drinks, piñatas, decorations and more! If we get funds, it will be open to the entire NAU community.
Find out more about LSU’s upcoming events by following @lsunau on Instagram.