Story Category: Live Updates »

The College of Southern Maryland is celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with various scheduled events and activities designed to acknowledge, educate and celebrate Hispanic cultures.

The Latino/Latina Cultural Studies Group has compiled a list of events scheduled at CSM by different groups and departments that acknowledge and celebrate Hispanic Cultures. This year’s theme is “Heritage, Diversity, Integrity, and Honor: The Renewed Hope of America.”

The Spanish Club will host recruitment days, 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Oct. 14 on the lawn next to the Health Technology (HT) Building at the La Plata Campus.  Club members will be building a Mexican Altar in preparation for the Day of the Dead competition and serving beverages.  If you are interested in participating please report to the next upcoming meeting, 2:30pm Oct. 7 in the Fine Arts (FA) Building, Room 127. Zumba workshops will be held from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Nov. 2 and Dec. 2 in the Campus Center Building, Room 100A, La Plata. Contact CSM Professor Sonia Fernandez, 301-934-7892, for information.

The Latin Ensemble will host an Open Rehearsal from 7 to 9 p.m. Oct. 6 in the CC Building, Student Lounge. The group will be preparing for its Latin Ensemble Concert, to take place at 8 p.m., Dec. 11 in the Fine Arts Center. For information visit http://www.csmd.edu/Arts/LatinEnsemble/index.html

To encourage dialogue during Hispanic Heritage Month, award-winning author C.M. Mayo will be on the La Plata Campus to discuss and read from her new novel, “The Last Prince of the Mexican Empire.” The Connections Preview will be held from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 7 in the Center for Business and Industry (BI) Building, Room 103. This seminar-style discussion will be an open forum for students, faculty, staff and community members to explore topics related to her new novel.
Participants may read excerpts from the novel at Mayo’s website www.cmmayo.com and her book is also available for purchase at all CSM College Stores.

Some topics that will be discussed are included but not limited to: the depiction of historical events through a work of fiction; the difference between the ‘emotional truth’ and the factual truth; what the Mexican government is like today; and exploring both sides of the debate on the issue of illegal immigration, particularly from Mexico.

Mayo will also be reading from and discussing her book at the Connections Literary Series Reading at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 15 in the Leonardtown Campus Auditorium. For information, interviews with the author and a study guide, visit www.csmd.edu/connections/

As part of the celebration a competition to commemorate the Day of the Dead has been scheduled for the Spanish courses taught by CSM Professor Carolin McManus at the Leonardtown Campus. Students will set up three altars Oct. 25 through Nov. 2 in the C-Building Lounge. The winners of the competition will be announced in the Nov. 4 meeting of the Latino/Latina Cultural Studies Group. Contact McManus at 301-934-5452 if you are a CSM instructor interested in participating.