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More than livin' La Vida Loca

It's being sparked by Enrique Iglesias or Ricky Martin to live 'la vida loca' every Thursday, Friday and Saturday. It's weekends consisting of 'Ten rounds with Jose Cuervo.' And it's the Wednesday night priority to stop at Amigos on the Corner to satiate that burning craving for fajitas and rice (or perhaps just because it's margarita night).

The Latin American craze has taken America by storm. The Latino culture, however, extends far deeper than pop music and tequila.

In the last decade the Latino culture has manifested itself in numerous facets of American culture, and now wields continually increasing influence. Although the Latino community more clearly has defined its niche within American society and the University, the Latino population remains only a small portion of the total population.

Composing about 2.9 percent of the undergraduate body, the Latino/Hispanic population ranked as the University's third smallest minority during the 2002-2003 year. Although this percentage remains small, it has increased steadily since 1998, when Latino/Hispanic students only made up about 2 percent of the total undergraduate population.

This growth, however, soon may be curbed by the recent opinion voiced by Virginia Attorney General Jerry Kilgore encouraging Virginia public universities to deny admission based on applicants' immigration status. Designed mainly as a protection mechanism post-September 11, this plan will have great ramifications for peoples outside of the terrorist population, including the Latino/Hispanic population.

The Mexican-American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) has taken action to benefit the affected Latinos and to prevent this cap on growth.

Second-year College student Jenny Hernandez noted the downfalls of such a small Latino population in comparison to her hometown of Miami, which has a very large and diverse Latino community.

"To come to a university where Cuban, Columbian, Venezuelan and Salvadorian are all the same, because we are all Latino, is quite a shock," Hernandez said."Of course, when only about 3 percent of the student population is Latino, I can see how making such distinctions do not appear to be of great importance."

These distinctions prevail as a leading concern among Latinos at the University as this diverse population seeks not only to be recognized as diverse to the University community at large, but also accounting for this diversity while defining their own Latino identity. Although the University's recent augmented emphasis on embracing diversity has aided in their struggles relating to being a minority student, the Latino population still must focus on relating to the Latino population as a whole -- without disregarding these integral individual differences.

"Latino Culture is very diverse in every sense," said third-year College student and Latino Student Union President, Alexander Yec. "To be Latino means to embrace diversity not only on the ethnical level."

Yec also said cultural identity is important.

"How can you adapt yourself to student life here, if you don't have a strong sense of who you are and where you belong?" he asked.

Even though this lack of identity can act as a dividing factor, the Latino population also is unified by their common struggle with this issue.

Based on this common thread, a slew of Hispanic/Latino specific organizations, support groups and activities were established to address these specific Latino concerns.

According to the Hispanic/Latino Resources Web site, these resources help to aid students in their personal adjustments to being both a minority student and a member in the community of their particular background and to inform and educate the remainder of the University about Latino concerns.

These organizations span all interests and serve a varying array of missions -- from artistic pursuits to Greek life. Some organizations include the Latino Student Union, the Latin Sorority Lambda Theta Alpha, the Latin Fraternity Lambda Upsilon Lambda and "Sur Magazine" (a bilingual publication exploring the experiences of the Latino student at the University).

Additionally, the Latino Student Admission Committee and the Bolivar Network offer the opportunity to recruit Hispanic/Latino students to the University and give Latino University students alumni connections, respectively.

Volunteer opportunities include the Towards a Better Latin America and the Latino Peer Mentoring Program.

Support groups such as the mentoring program aim to assuage the fears and address the problem of identity during the transitional period for new University students by matching them with upperclassmen who try to share wisdom gained from their own adjusting experience.

Although these programs are designed specifically to concern Latino interests, both Latinos and non-Latinos are welcome to attend.

Because these organizations intend to unify the Latino community and increase Latino awareness around Grounds, some students believe that in establishing this separate identity, Latino students are in turn self-segregating.

This self-segregation, some say, directly opposes efforts to acclimate students to University life as a whole.

"While I think that these organizations could be conducive to fostering a sense of pride in the Latino community and educating non-Latinos on the Latin culture." "I feel they usually encourage an elite quality -- a clique of the minority," Hernandez said.

Whether or not a student chooses to partake in Latino specific organizations, issues arising from external racial pressures and the search for maintaining and understanding a personal identity may arise for members of the Latino community.

"The issue is being treated differently because of my background and not simply for who I am," second-year College student Alexis Hoshi Paz said.

Maybe embracing diversity can be as simple as respecting those around you for the qualities that make them an individual rather than the qualities that associate them with a group.

So next time when going Mexican and sipping that amazing margarita, remember it's just one aspect of Latino culture.

For more information about Hispanic/Latino student organizations see www.virginia.edu/deanofstudents/latino/organizations.html.

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