Colorado State University Celebrates National Hispanic Serving Institution Week and Honors 50 Years of Chicano Studies Programs

PUEBLO—Colorado State University Pueblo will celebrate National Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI) Week Sept. 13 through 19 with programming, performances and speakers throughout the week. HSI Week opens Hispanic Heritage Month, Sept. 15 through Oct. 15, which takes place as CSU Pueblo honors 50 years of Chicano Studies Programs at the Belmont campus.

CSU Pueblo became a designated HSI in 2007 and currently has a Hispanic student population of 34 percent. CSU Pueblo joins the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) to celebrate HSI Week as part of the campus-wide commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and access and affordability to higher education in southern Colorado and beyond.

“As a Hispanic Serving Institution, we work diligently to ensure that the diverse cultures of the region are represented on campus,” said Derek Lopez, executive director of Hispanic Serving Institution Initiatives. “HSI Week and Hispanic Heritage Month are great opportunities to elevate our campus and our programming, including our award-winning CSU Pueblo Ballet Folkorico, Title III and V HSI Grants from the Department of Education, Chicano Studies programming, and our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts.”

Tuesday, Sept. 14, award-winning writer and educator Felicia Rose Chavez, a Riley Scholar Fellow at  Colorado College, will join CSU Pueblo for an anti-racism workshop. The workshop will be held in two parts: 9:30 a.m. until 11 a.m., “Change Begins with You: Strategies For Everyday Anti-Racism Action,” and a second workshop from 1:00 p.m. until 2:30 p.m., “Educate to Liberate: Tools for Teaching Writing In The Anti-Racist Classroom.” Both sessions are free and open to CSU Pueblo faculty, staff and students via a Zoom link.

Wednesday, Sept. 15, Victoria Obregon, acting director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and College Assistance Migrant Program Assistant Director, will lead a hands-on chile ristra-making workshop at the Occhiato Student Center’s fireplace.

According to Obregon, “At CSU Pueblo, we work to establish a dedication to diversity, equity and inclusion everyday. HSI week offers an opportunity to share Hispanic and Latinx cultures, histories, and heritage with our students, employees, and community.”

Thursday,Sept. 16 will include an evening in celebrating “The Beginning: 50 Years of Chicano Studies at CSU Pueblo,” and will include an educational panel featuring remarks from Chicano Studies founding members and community voices: Carmen Arteaga, George Autobee, Dario Madrid and Dave Marquez. The reception will be held outside, adjacent to the OSC Ballroom, and the panel presentation will be held in the Occhiato Student Center Foyer. The event will begin at 5:30 p.m. The event is open to the community, but by RSVP or invitation only.

Finally, on Friday, Sept. 17 at 5:00 p.m., CSU Pueblo will host the University of Texas Rio Grande Ballet Folklorico dancers for a special performance in the Occhiato Student Center Ballroom. A cash bar and light hors d'oeuvres will be provided. The performance will begin at 5:30 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

“CSU Pueblo is dedicated to becoming the people’s university – for Colorado and the southwest United States. Pueblo’s heritage is as vibrant and diverse and our people, and we are proud of our deep roots in Hispanic history and culture,” said CSU Pueblo President Timothy Mottet. “We take our mission as an Hispanic Serving Institution seriously, and I am honored that our campus is offering such a wide range of speakers, activities, and community events that honor and celebrate our rich Hispanic heritage.”

For more information about HSI Week and all events, contact Derek Lopez, executive director of Hispanic Serving Institution Initiatives at derek.lopez@csupueblo.edu.