With only 10 days left in Hispanic Heritage Month, USC\u2019s administration has taken a different approach to celebrating this year. In a statement made to Annenberg Media on Monday, the university said it was moving away from hosting events to give student organizations the opportunity to lead their own.<\/p>\n
\u201cCultural heritage events and celebrations have long offered Trojans ways to learn about other traditions and deepen their own sense of community and belonging. In order to empower students with greater input into the design and programming of these federally recognized events, we are reverting to an approach that gives primary responsibility for these events to recognized student organizations (RSOs),\u201d the statement<\/a> said. <\/p>\n \u201cBy empowering RSOs in this way, the intent is to inject new voices, energy, and ideas into cultural heritage events, broaden their appeal, and enliven our campus as a whole.\u201d<\/p>\n The university\u2019s decision to step back from heritage events comes after the Undergraduate Student Government passed a Senate bill in April. The bill advocates for a more collaborative approach between students and USC when planning university cultural heritage celebrations. According to a USG press release<\/a>, the bill emphasized the importance of centering student voices and experiences in the execution of such events to ensure they accurately represent the communities they celebrate. <\/p>\n The Daily Trojan reported<\/a> that during Arab American Heritage Month in April, the Middle Eastern and North African Student Assembly said the university did not allow one of its members to recite a poem at an event. Additionally, the Native American Student Assembly said Native American students were not allowed to speak<\/a> at the university\u2019s event in November, leading the assembly to hold an independent event. <\/p>\n The USC Thornton Afro-Latin American Jazz Ensemble, or ALAJE, which performed at a jazz night hosted by USC in 2024<\/a> to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, hosts weekly concerts on Mondays in the Carson Television Center. <\/p>\n Faculty member Aar\u00f3n Serfaty, who leads ALAJE, emphasized the ensemble\u2019s love of playing music regardless of university affiliation, although he voiced some concerns about USC\u2019s decision to step back from organizing events. <\/p>\n \u201cHonestly, it seems like it\u2019s a lot to ask of students that are already in the middle of midterms,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n Despite the added stress that organizing events may place on students, he thinks it will lead to events that students may enjoy more. <\/p>\n \u201cI do like the idea of students running things because you guys are younger, and you know what moves you,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n According to the USC events calendar<\/a>, the university is not hosting its signature closing event, Noche de Cultura. However, the USC Price School Office of Student Affairs recently announced it would host its own event on the final day of Hispanic Heritage Month, Oct. 15. Latine speakers will share how their personal stories help make the Price School a vibrant and powerful community at the Cultural Compass Speaker Series<\/a>. <\/p>\n Dalia Cancel Batista, a junior transfer student studying biomedical engineering, said having Hispanic Heritage Month events would help students far away from home feel more comfortable.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m Dominican and I\u2019m from the East Coast, and I don\u2019t know any other Dominicans here,\u201d Cancel Batista said. \u201cI think just helping find community, in this bigger community as a university, could help students who are maybe far away from home or haven\u2019t been able to experience their culture in any way here.\u201d <\/p>\n