North Texas Daily

Hispanic Heritage Month began Sept. 15, and as a Hispanic Serving Institution, the university offers various events for students to enrich themselves in Hispanic culture.

Spanish department chair Samuel Manickam poses with his collection of traditional Mexican masks at the Hispanic Heritage Month kick-off celebration on Sept. 15, 2022. Photo by Gabe Houser

The Spanish department was originally reluctant to prepare events due to the uncertainty presented by COVID-19, said Samuel Manickam, associate professor and department chair.

“This is the third time we are doing this,” Samuel said. “We started this in 2018, then we did it in 2019 and then the pandemic came. Since things are pretty much back to normal, we said ‘OK let’s do it,’ and we put this together in a week.”

The University Program Council and the Multicultural Center began celebrations on Thursday, Sept. 15 at the Language Building. The “Celebration Kick-off” event went from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and displayed Hispanic cultures, including those from Mexico, Spain and Colombia. Masks from Mexico used in traditional dance were displayed. 

Carnaval took over the Library Mall Monday, Sept. 19 as live music played and students learned more about Hispanic organizations on campus and enjoyed Mexican popsicles.

Stuidents swing to live music while enjoying paletas at Carnaval on Sept. 19, 2022. Photo by Gabe Houser

Criminal justice freshman Wesley Muñiz said it is a great way to get involved with Hispanic communities on campus. This is his second year participating in Carnaval.

“It gets the people going,” Muñiz said. “It gets people more knowledge about [who] we are, where we come from and what we’re about.” 

Carnaval ended with a Mexican-style bingo game called “Juego de Loteria,” which translates to “lottery game.”

All of the events for the month are run by various on-campus groups, including Hispanic cultural organizations. Samuel hopes as a Hispanic Serving Institution, the university can find a way to bring all these organizations together to make it easier for students. 

“I think UNT is trying to do more, but it comes out in different ways like the Multicultural Center and [the Division of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access],” he said. “I’m doing something here. You’re doing something here — we don’t know about each other. We need to put it all together in one place.”

Upcoming Events

Latinx Mental Health Week

The Multicultural Center is hosting three separate mental health days in the Union for its first “Latinx Mental Health Week.”

“Cafecito & Chisme” will take place on Monday, Sept. 26 from 8:30 a.m to 10 a.m. for a discussion about stigmas in the Latinx community while students drink coffee.

Students can learn more about how masculinity affects them on Wednesday, Sept. 28 at 6:30 p.m., and paint with the Latinx Hispanic Student Union on Thursday, Sept. 29 at 5 p.m. as they discuss what it means to be Latinx. 

“I’m extremely grateful for the Multicultural Center because a lot of our Hispanic events do come from them,” Natalie Campos, Hispanic Student Association vice president, said. “Our advisor [is] someone who works at the MC, [and] he tries to help us out a lot with our events and organization.”

Food Events

Students can try sweet Hispanic treats at the Center for Student Affairs at Discovery Park on Tuesday, Sept. 20.

Students will also be able to taste and learn about Mexican “aguas frescas,” a juice-like drink, on Tuesday, Oct. 4 at 10 a.m. in the Language Building. Later that afternoon at 1 p.m., they can play “Juego de Caras & Gestos,” a Hispanic game similar to charades.

Dance Lessons

Students can visit Spanish professor María Carpio Manickam and the Spanish Club for Salsa dance lessons on Wednesday, Sept. 28 from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. in the Language Building.

Movie Events

Samuel will host a movie watch party from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 21 in the Language Building. The film “Rebel Music: Americas” features music from Argentina and Mexico used in rebel movements.

A movie about what to do in Barcelona will be shown on Wednesday, Oct. 5 at 1 p.m. in the Language Building.

Adjunct Spanish professor Eric Fuentes will also host a watch party for “Selena Live, the Last Concert” on Thursday, Sept. 29 from 3:3o p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

On Wednesday, Oct. 12, professor Teresa Marrero will show students a film about a Cuban man wishing to escape to Miami titled “Una Noche” at 1 p.m. in the Language Building.

Day of the Dead

On Monday, Oct. 3, the HSA will teach students more about the Day of the Dead and the importance of celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month. 

Finale

For the final week of the month, the Spanish department will host a talk about Hispanic country flags on Monday, Oct. 10 at 11 a.m. 

The celebrations end on Friday, Oct. 14 with a talk about Latin American music with a live cello performance at 1 p.m. in the Language Building. A closing ceremony is planned for 3 p.m., but details have not been shared yet. In previous years, the event featured Mariachi and traditional Mexican dance. 

Featured Image: Genesis Hernández and Manuel Muñizp pose at their Folxlórico booth at Carnaval on Sept. 19, 2022. Photo by Gabe Houser