HISPANIC HERITAGE | Scheduled events

The 2015 Hispanic Heritage Month, observed from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, will be celebrated with cultural and educational programs at Youngstown State University and throughout the community. This year’s theme is “Celebrating and Connecting Communities.” The Youngstown State University Hispanic Heritage Planning Committee through the YSU Office of Student Diversity Programs has partnered with the community for the celebration.

Now through Oct. 15: “Notable Latinos,” an exhibit of items highlighting the important contributions of renowned Latino authors, poets, musicians and painters, displayed on the main floor of YSU’s Maag Library on campus.

Oct. 1: “Sky Watchers of Ancient Mexico” will be presented at 7 p.m. in YSU’s Ward Beecher Planetarium by planetarium engineer Curt Spivey. The presentation will discuss the ancient Mexican civilizations of the Aztec, Maya, Toltec and Olmec cultures, describing the ways in which each incorporated the sky into their religion, stories and daily rituals. It is free.

Oct. 3: A Hispanic Heritage Celebration from noon to 3 p.m. in the Chesnut Room at YSU’s Kilcawley Center. The celebration is the main event of Hispanic Heritage Month and free and open to the public. There will be music, entertainment, dance performances, children’s activities, cultural displays, vendors, information tables and ethnic refreshments. Dancing will follow, with music provided by DJ Kenny Reyes. Parking is free for the first 50 guests in the M-1 Wick Avenue parking deck. Advise a parking attendant that you are attending the Hispanic Heritage Celebration to receive a parking pass. The event is coordinated by the Hispanic Heritage Planning Committee through the YSU Office Student Diversity Programs with support from campus and community organizations.

Oct. 4: The YSU Hispanic Heritage Planning Committee and the YSU Latino Student Organization will participate in the fifth annual Non-Violence Parade and Rally at 3 p.m. Parade participants will line up at 2 p.m. at YSU’s Williamson College of Business at West Wood and Hazel streets.

Oct. 9: An International Students Coffee Hour is planned for 2 to 4 p.m. at the YWCA, 25 W. Rayen Ave. YSU students and the community will share conversation and enjoy Latino desserts, coffee and music. The event is co-sponsored by the YSU Hispanic Heritage Planning Committee and the YSU Office of Student Diversity Programs.

Oct. 9: “An Interplay Between Abstract and Applied Math” will be presented at 3 p.m. in the Ohio Room at Kilcawley. Luis Nunez-Betancourt, a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Virginia, will discuss integer addition and multiplication and their abstraction via groups and rings. He will explore how rings allow us to see geometric properties of spaces that we cannot draw. The event is co-sponsored by the Choose Ohio First Scholarship Program and the YSU Mathematics Department.

Oct. 12: A U.S. State Department speaker will visit Kilcawley’s Gallery Room at 10 a.m. Rob Alter, a Youngstown native, will speak about his working experiences and career opportunities as a U.S. State Department Foreign Service officer since 2007, currently serving in Washington. As the senior Colombia desk officer, he coordinates U.S. foreign-policy initiatives on all aspects of U.S.-Colombia relations.

Oct. 16: OCCHA’s 43rd annual fundraiser gala from 5:30 to 11 p.m. at Antone’s Banquet Centre, 8578 Market St., Boardman. The Organizacion Civica y Cultural Hispana Americana Inc., a social-service agency serving the Hispanic and multicultural community, is celebrating 43 years of service with an adults-only fundraiser. Cocktail hour begins at 5:30 p.m., and dinner is at 6:30 with musical entertainment. There will be auctions and a 50-50 raffle. Tickets are $50 per person. For tickets and information, call 330-755-0430 or email occhagala@gmail.com.

Source: YSU