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The Hispanic population has grown to more than 45.5 million people in the United States and constitutes 15 percent of the population.
SIUC has not experienced the same type of growth as it has only 746 Hispanic students, which is 3.6 percent of the total student population.
Latino Heritage Month has been hosted on campus since Sept. 15 and has presented different facets of Latino culture through piñata-making workshops, salsa dancing and Monday's speech from Alina Fernandez.
While the events have exposed a culture not often seen in Carbondale, Dave Leija said there is still a struggle for representation.
Leija, a junior from Romeoville studying music business, said groups such as Omega Delta Phi and the Hispanic Student Council help Hispanic students feel comfortable, but do not stop the stereotypes Hispanics face on a daily basis.
"There are still nights I could just go out to get a pizza and some ignorant asshole sees I'm Hispanic and will call me an illegal immigrant or something," Leija said. "It's hard for us to shake that stuff off when people don't care."
But Leija said that for every bad experience he has, there are plenty more good ones.
The Mexico native said he enjoys the people in the College of Music because they keep an open mind and allow for expression from all cultures through concerts and events.
Leija said the Hispanic student groups on campus are working to attract more Hispanic students to Carbondale. The population is so small now that he said it was easy to notice the difference between the 693 last year compared to the 746 this fall.
One student helping to bring more Hispanic students to SIUC is president of the Hispanic Student Council Luis Mata.
Mata, a senior from Mundeline studying landscape design, said the council had a group of inner-city Hispanic high school students visit the campus to show them the possibilities.
He said he did not think there was enough representation of the Hispanic community on campus in the student body or in administrative offices.
"I was so happy when (former Chancellor) Fernando Treviño took office because it was a message the university wanted to diversify," Mata said. "I still don't know why they took him out of office, but I hope they find ways to have more diversity so we can have a voice too."
Mata said the council planned on following up with the Hispanic students who visited the campus by taking a trip to Chicago to speak with students about SIUC.
Carl Ervin, director of student development, said Latino Heritage Month is an important event for Hispanic students and the whole SIUC community.
He said the events give the small population of Latino students a voice and allow students from other cultures to get an understanding of the history.
"I think people who come to these events and meet people realize we have a lot more in common than we think," Ervin said. "We can use this to break barriers and get a better understanding of each other."
If the U.S. Census Bureau is accurate in its predictions, it won't be long before the Hispanic population has a much stronger voice. According to the bureau, there will be 102.6 million Hispanics in the United States by July 2050.
The Hispanic community is not only growing in numbers, but in educational achievement as well. Last year, 3.3 million Hispanics 18 and older had at least a bachelor's degree, which was nearly double the 1.7 million reported a decade earlier, according to the census.
Mata said if the trend continues, it would make the Latino community one of the most influential groups in the country.
"I think this movement has been coming for a while now," Mata said. "People are starting to see and understand the Hispanic people and there will start to be more representation of our culture."
Jeff Engelhardt can be reached at 536-3311 ext. 268 or jengel@siu.edu
