Event Details - Hispanic Heritage Month 2023

St. Mary’s University Hispanic Heritage Month 2023 

Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 

The Hispanic Heritage Month Committee invites the St. Mary’s University community to a variety of campus events celebrating the month. 

Sept. 11 to 17 

St. Mary’s University commemorates National Hispanic-Serving Institution Week. 

Sept. 12 to Nov. 12 

Fotoseptiembre Exhibit: “The Harmony of Emulsion” 

Blume Library Operating Hours 

Blume Library, Art Gallery 

Thursday, Sept. 14 

Hispanic Heritage Month Kickoff Event  

University Center (UC), Conference Room B 

9 to 9:15 a.m.  

Opening Reception 

9:15 to 10:15 a.m.  

Building a Hispanic-Serving Institution Through Title V Initiatives and Beyond 

Featuring Jason Pierce, Ph.D.; Margaret Alarilla, Ed.D.; Gary Ogden, Ph.D.; Betsy Smith, Ph.D.; and Jennifer Zwahr-Castro, Ph.D. 

10:30 to 11:30 a.m.  

The Past, Present and Future of St. Mary’s as a Hispanic-Serving Institution 

Featuring Margaret Cantu-Sanchéz, Ph.D.; Gerald Poyo, Ph.D.; Stella Silva, Ph.D.;  
Arturo Vega, Ph.D.; and Belinda Román, Ph.D. 

Monday, Sept. 18 

Choco Meza Civic Engagement Event 

UC, Conference Room A 

Noon to 2 p.m. 

Lunch and Speaker Panel 

Tus Derechos: The Status of Voting Rights in Texas and the U.S. 
Moderated by Charles Cotrell, Ph.D. (B.A. ’62, M.A.’64), President and Professor Emeritus 
 
Featuring George Korbel, Civil Rights Attorney; Melissa Havrda (B.A. ’01. J.D. ’07), City of San Antonio District 6 Councilwoman; and Al Kaufmann, J.D., Professor of Law 

2 to 3 p.m. 

Civic Engagement Workshop: Learn How to Register Your Community to Vote 

3:15 to 4:15 p.m. 

Community Engagement Presentation: CliftonStrengths and Civic Engagement 

Wednesdays, Sept. 20, Sept. 27 and Oct. 4 

Merienda Marianista 

3:30 to 5 p.m. 

Cotrell Learning Commons, Contreras Student Lounge 

Build fellowship and enjoy a snack break on Wednesday afternoons to celebrate our Marianist family spirit. Pastries, coffee and tea will be available. 

Thursday, Sept. 21 

Transforming a Hispanic-Serving Institution 

Featuring Lorena Escoto Germán, Dominican American Educator 

1:30 to 3:30 p.m. 

UC, Conference Room B  

Friday, Sept. 22 

Fotoseptiembre Artist Reception 

4 to 5:30 p.m. 

Blume Library, Art Gallery 

The Department of Art invites you to the annual Fotoseptiembre Art Exhibition featuring photographer Liz Potter: "The Harmony of Emulsion.” All are welcome to attend. 

Tuesday, Sept. 26 

Anzaldua Borderlands Celebration and Reflection 

12:30 to 1:50 p.m. 

UC, Conference Room B 

Learn about the importance of American scholar Gloria Anzaldua’s book, Borderlands, La Frontera: The New Mestiza. 

Thursday, Sept. 28 

“Why Would I Mispronounce My Own Name?”  

Featuring Irma Herrera (B.A. ’71), Solo Performer, Social Justice Activista and Attorney  

7:30 to 8:30 p.m. 

Treadaway Hall, Guadalupe Chapel 

Enjoy Irma Herrera’s one woman play about the importance of respecting others’ names and heritage, followed by an engaging conversation. 

Friday, Sept. 29 

Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities Emerging Leaders’ Summit* 

8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 

Alumni Athletics & Convocation Center 

*Registration is required. Students can register via Handshake by Friday, Sept. 15.  

Lin Great Speakers Series: Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Art of Solidarity 

Featuring Nichole M. Flores, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Religious Studies, University of Virginia 

3:30 to 5 p.m. 

Sarita Kenedy East Law Library, Law Alumni Room 

Flores will offer an account of a “political theology of Guadalupe,” or a theological and aesthetic framework for interpreting Guadalupe’s meaning and significance for our 21st-century democracy in the United States. 

Thursday, Oct. 5 

Greehey School of Business Panel 

Noon to 1 p.m. 

UC, Conference Room B 

Hear from a panel of Federal Reserve employees about their role in our society and employment opportunities for students. 

Fifth Annual O’Connor Lecture and Reception 
 
Mexican Americans at St. Mary’s University: Education, Activism and Ethnic Identity, 1960s to 1970s 

Featuring Gerald E. Poyo, Ph.D., O’Connor Chair in the History of Hispanic Texas and the Southwest  

3:30 to 5 p.m., Lecture and Discussion 

Sarita Kenedy East Law Library, Law Alumni Room 

5 to 6:30 p.m., Reception* 

Sarita Kenedy East Law Library, Law Alumni Room 

*Visit bit.ly/oconnor-reception to RSVP. 

Monday, Oct. 2

Latinx Unidos Employee Affinity Group Mixer

4 to 5:30 p.m.

The Pub at St. Mary's

Friday, Oct. 6, and Saturday, Oct. 7 

Lawtina Network Summit 

Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. 

Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. 

St. Mary’s University School of Law 

For more information and registration, visit law.stmarytx.edu/lawtina-network-summit. 

Wednesday, Oct. 11 

Noche de Cultura 

3 to 7 p.m. 

The Quad 

Enjoy an evening of music from conjunto musician Juan Tejeda, mariachis, food trucks, salsa lessons, poetry and more. 

Hispanic Heritage Month and Latina Scholarship Lecture 

2 to 3 p.m. 

Location to be determined 

Featuring Yolanda Chavez Leyva, Ph.D., Director of the Institute of Oral History and Associate Professor of History, University of Texas at El Paso 

Tuesday, Oct. 24 

Hispanic-Serving Institutions Beyond St. Mary’s University 

3 to 5 p.m. 

UC, Conference Room B  

Join us for a conversation on a broader understanding of Latinx diversity. 

For more information, contact Margaret Cantu-Sanchéz, Ph.D. at [email protected].