BU's Hispanic groups merge to form Alianza

Uniting the Boston University Hispanic community, more than 40 students arrived at the Howard Thurman Center last night to kick off Alianza Latina's first student group meeting.

The club is the product of two past BU Hispanic organizations -- Latinos Unidos and La Fuerza. The merging of the groups has been in discussion for more than three years, but the final decision was made last year, Alianza Latina president Vanessa Arenas said.

"We also had the same members and figured since one of our objectives is to create a more united Latino community at Boston University, it would make more sense to have one group instead of two," Alianza co-president Stephanie Abregu said in an email.

Abregu said at the inaugural meeting that Latinos make up about 6 percent of BU, a percentage that has not increased dramatically in recent years.

BU spokesman Colin Riley said the increase has been "stable and grown incrementally."

Those who attended the meeting gathered at separate tables as Abregu, a College of Arts and Sciences junior, stated the group goals, which include the implementation of weekly meetings as well as community service events on and off campus.

Abregu introduced the members of the organization's executive board, who will make decisions such as which events the club will host. One upcoming event will be Explosiona Latina, which will take place on Saturday at the George Sherman Union Ballroom and include Latin dance performances.

In addition to Explosiona Latina, Abregu said the organization plans to hold meetings headed by each member of the E-board in turn. The discussion-based meetings will cover several topics, including interracial dating and violence.

The E-board also initiated member input, asking students to comment on activities they would like to participate in and what aspects of the other two clubs they would like to incorporate into Alianza Latina.

Although several attendees had been members of the two previous organizations, new faces presented themselves throughout the night.

Arias said she went to the meeting to meet more people and "to get more involved in the Latino community at BU."

Arias also said she believes the group will help build Hispanic unity.

"Whenever you bring people together from the same culture, it helps create a bond," she said.

School of Management junior Yvonne Rivera said she was a member of Latinos Unidos and has attended meetings since her freshman year.

"We're trying to form a more united Latino community, and we're here to teach each other about our culture," Arenas said.