UP's multicultural clubs see recent upswing in student attendence
By Elizabeth Tertadian
Sophomore Daymara Martinez has been dancing since she was three years old. Upon arriving at UP, she looked into dance classes, checking out swing and others, but really wanted to bring her Cuban heritage into it.
"Let's have some Latino dance, you know?" she said.
So, she started teaching salsa dancing classes as a freshman.
"I came here as a freshman and I really wanted to do something with salsa, and a professor of mine asked me if I wanted to teach," she said.
Sophomore Yaneira Romero arrived at UP with a passion for social justice. Noticing that UP had no M.E.Ch.A chapter, she started the club her freshman year.
M.E.Ch.A is a nationwide Latino club whose goal is to encourage more Latinos to enter and finish college by raising awareness of community issues and devoting itself to community service.
"I feel very strongly about both of my cultures," said Romero, who believes being Latino yet born in the United States is a culture in itself.
"I feel like a lot of students can relate to that," she said.
The number of Latino heritage clubs increased last year due to the efforts of a few freshmen looking to integrate their culture into their new life. Now, their efforts are taking root.
"Last year we only had about ten active members, but this year we've consistently had 20 coming to meetings and involving themselves," said Franco of the UP MeChA chapter membership.
"This year, we've had a big amount of incoming Latino freshman, and also sophomores and juniors interested in joining," Romero added.
For Martinez, dancing was her way to bring her Cuban heritage to school.
"Getting to share, it's one of my favorite things to do," she said. "It makes me really satisfied."
She teaches salsa class every Wednesday and Thursday in Howard Hall from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m.
This year, Martinez said, about 25 students attend class each week. She hopes to one day have a university-sanctioned Salsa Club, so that student funds can help finance group excursions to Latin dance clubs off campus.
Right now she takes her students to Satin Latin dance club downtown Portland to give students real experience outside of class. Her goal is for students to learn to salsa by feeling the music, not by focusing on pre-learned steps and counts. Going to clubs helps with this, she said.
In addition to a club, Martinez would like to start Salsa Day at UP, which would be the equivalent of the annual Salsa Festival held in Portland.
"We're going to go big this year," she said.
Like Martinez, Romero's strong roots in her heritage and passion for social justice prompted her to create the UP M.E.Ch.A chapter last year.
"It's something like the American Dream, but for Chicanos," Vice President Anayeli Franco said.
A Chicano is someone who has Mexican parents, but was born in the United States.
At UP, it's more than that. Romero's goals for the club are simple: "I want to focus on social justice issues," she said.
This includes cultural awareness, immigration rights and education support. Officially recognized as a club second semester of last year, Romero is glad that M.E.Ch.A was accepted by the UP community.
"I've always had a passion for leadership and social justice," said Romero, who was involved in M.E.Ch.A in high school.
"I really grew as a leader because of it. Now when I get out into the community, people know me," she said. "It became my basis to why I became involved in community service."
Although Romero does not see herself being in community service as a career, she will bring her culture and passion for social justice wherever she goes.
"If I can create awareness to other businesses, that's great," she said.
In high school, she was a peer mentor with the East County high schools around the Portland area, and hopes to do that while at UP as well. She wants high school students to know about UP and that it is possible to attend.
"Helping minorities succeed, especially in education," Franco said. "We want to let them know it's possible to go to college."
The club also strives to educate parents who are less-connected on the availability of scholarships to make education after high school possible.
"They don't know about FAFSA or how to apply," she said.
Bringing them to UP and giving them a welcome from a private university would bring a lot of hope and inspiration to the parents and students, who don't see college as a possibility, said Romero.
In November, the club will host a Latino Parent Night to provide information about college and how to make it a possibility.
"M.E.Ch.A is not just for Mexicans, it's open to anyone who wants to join," Romero said, adding that the main motive of the club is to have Mexican American students go out and become more successful.
"That doesn't mean we're going to forget about the other minorities and their problems," she said.
Each month, the club focuses on one or two events. Because Latino Cultural Awareness Month runs from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, the club celebrated Mexican Independence Day on Sept. 15 in Mehling.
About 30 students gathered to watch "El Grito," the live broadcast of the Mexican fiesta that celebrates the country's independence from Spanish rule on Sept. 16. Together they ate traditional food, and played soccer.
"It was a fun night of learning the history of Mexico," said Romero. "And a nice way to feel together."
She made quesadillas, and answered questions about the event, explaining her culture to those walking in and out of the hall throughout the night.
The club also presented a slide show during Espresso UP that explained why Latino Heritage Month is celebrated from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. While students were getting their coffee fix, they learned bits of history about Latino countries.
Beginning with Brazil on Sept 7., and ending with Belize on Sept 21., nine Latino countries gained their independence in September. These were Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Mexico, Chile, Guatemala and El Salvador. Of them, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Guatemala and El Salvador all gained their independence on Sept. 15., hence the starting date of Latino Heritage Month on that date.
The club will be doing a few canned food drives throughout the year: one in October for the Oregon Food Bank, the second in April to benefit a farm worker camp in Gresham.
According to Romero, the goal of Chicanos is to represent their community and help community better their lives.
"You don't have to be Mexican to be a Chicano," she said. "Everybody has their values, traditions, cultures and everyone can relate in some way."
Martinez brings her Cuban culture to UP though dance, educating others of her love for the salsa. Romero brings her Latino culture to UP though her work with M.E.Ch.A, using her passion for social justice as a platform to bring awareness, educate and help others understand minority groups and their struggles.
"It's something I do on my spare time to do something for the community," Romero said. "The more we collaborate, the more we grow."
