FULLERTON : Party Honors Chicano Studies’ 25th Year

Chicano and Latino students at Cal State Fullerton will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the university’s Chicano studies department with a fund-raising dinner, students said Monday.

“We want to raise funds for scholarships for Chicano students,” said Monica Hernandez, chair of the Chicano Studies Student Assn. “There are a lot of scholarships out there for Chicanos with 4.0 grade-point averages, but we’d like to do something for people who might work full time or do a lot of community service instead.”

“We also want to help (college) seniors who can’t afford to pay for their last year of school,” Hernandez said.

Chicano studies students and members of MEChA (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan) organized the dinner, to be held at Cal State Fullerton’s Titan Pavilion.

“It’s the initiation of a new tradition,” Hernandez said.

Group members hope to raise between $3,000 and $5,000 in scholarship money this year, to be given out on the 26th anniversary of the Chicano studies department.

Enriqueta Ramos, a board member of the Rancho Santiago Community College District, will be the keynote speaker, Hernandez said. Jay and the Latin Sounds, a Tex-Mex music group, will play at a dance following the dinner.

The dinner and dance are Saturday from 6 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Tickets are $18 each or $30 per couple. No tickets will be sold at the door.

For more information or tickets, call (714) 773-3846.