Differences between Latinos and Hispanics will be discussed today in the East Dining Room from 1 to 2:30 p.m.

The Diversity within the Hispanic and Latin Community event is for the faculty and students to learn about Latino heritage.

Vincent Robles, librarian and program coordinator, is in charge of the event and discussed what is going to take place.

“What we’re going to do is have a panel of different Latinos. We are going to have someone from El Salvador, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Venezuela and someone of Mexican descent,” Robles said.

Robles adds how this event teaches Hispanic and Latinos to interact with each other and how there is diversity within the different Latinos.

“The idea is that we are trying to share with others on the campus whether it be students or faculty the differences and feelings that exist with certain Latinos and some instances it’s the words we use,” Robles said. “We all speak Spanish but the purpose is to understand, to educate us and let the world know, that there is diversity in the Latin world,” Robles said.

Claudia Striepe an instructional librarian who is involved with this event explains how Hispanics aren’t just one group and that there’s something new to learn about each Hispanic culture.

“The mission was to dispel the myth that Hispanics were one group then alert people of the nuances of the various groups and let us learn something that we did not know previously,” Striepe said

She also discussed the cohesiveness of the Latino group and how they still have similarities even though they are from different ethnic groups.

“It did seem to be a lot more family oriented there was a lot of cohesiveness among the individual groups as far as knowing a lot about their culture and customs,” Striepe. A cohesiveness that although we are different we still have this common language so they might have been rivalries, but they seem friendly that everyone was hanging together accepting that they were Hispanic.”

One student who will participate in the event talks about his favorite part and why he likes attending the event.

“I would have to say the questions and answer section because we find a set of questions to answer the ones that the public are asking are helpful for them,” Daniel Martinez said a Mexican student.