By Julia Duvall
Many students envision a sense of belonging as part of their college experience; a place that gives them a purpose, a group they can be a part of and share cultural activities they know best or want to learn more about.
That’s where the Latinx Appreciation Student Organization at Western Carolina University comes in. LASO is to promote awareness within and outside of the Latinx community, cultivate campus-wide awareness of diverse Latino cultures, and create unity within the WCU community.
“We offer different social, cultural and educational programs as well as fun events on and off campus,” said LASO president and senior Eliana Cruz. “We are young people from everywhere, with different backgrounds and experiences, but we have a common passion for learning about culture. »
Any WCU student can become a member of LASO, even if they are not of Latino or Latino-Hispanic descent. Students from all backgrounds are invited to participate.
“It is specifically stated in our constitution that anyone can join; in fact, we have had members in leadership positions who have been in LASO for all four years, with no Latino or Latino-Hispanic roots,” Cruz said. “They stepped up because they believed in the mission of this student organization and they truly appreciated our culture. »
Cruz, a Charlotte native of Dominican descent, credits LASO with giving students a sense of belonging.
“LASO is a place where you can find people who become lifelong friends through a shared appreciation of a culture,” Cruz said. “We have a much higher rate of diversity than when I joined the company. LASO played an important role in my college experience. I simply clicked with my fellow LASO members and formed lasting relationships.
Support from WCU faculty is also critical to LASO’s success.
“Dr. (Jean) Kennedy, director of the American Latinx Studies program, provided resources to transport students to our recent National Hispanic Heritage Month festival,” Cruz said. “We have such a strong community here at WCU and that sets students up for success through graduation and beyond.”
Cruz said events can attract anywhere from 30 people on game nights to more than 80 with larger campus-wide events.
“This year the recruiting has been great,” she said. “Larger events obviously attract more people, but even our smaller, more informal events get a strong turnout. I hope that the engagement of our Greek students will also grow.
Although WCU has a Latinx sorority on campus, there is no fraternity yet, but starting a chapter is in the works, Cruz said.
“We are working to generate more interest in starting a chapter and I am encouraged by the new level of student interest this year in bringing the fraternity to campus,” Cruz said. “I reached out to the Lambdas and connected with a fraternity member in Knoxville, so I’m excited to see where this takes us. I hope to see a Latin fraternity on campus by the time I graduate.
