2025 Organizers

The School of Cultural and Critical Studies is proud to serve as the organizational hub for the Latino/a/x Issues Conference.  The interdisciplinary school includes the Department of Ethnic Studies, American Culture Studies Program, Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program, and Popular Culture Department.  These units share a multidisciplinary approach, eclectic methodologies, a commitment to critical thinking and engagement, and an emphasis on how differences -- cultural, national, economic, racial, sexual, etc. -- are constructed and expressed.  Our undergraduate students engage in a dynamic core curriculum that includes service-learning, training in qualitative research, and a senior capstone project.  Graduate students in the School of Cultural and Critical Studies participate in a lively intellectual community. We offer a PhD or MA in American Culture Studies, an MA in Popular Culture, and graduate certificates in Ethnic Studies, Public History, and Women’s Studies.

The Institute for the Study of Culture and Society's Latin American and Latino/a/x Studies Cluster is an interdisciplinary group of faculty at BGSU who work in the fields of Latin American, Caribbean and/or Latino/a/x Studies.  The Cluster works to increase the visibility of Latin American and Latino/a/x Studies on campus through programming initiatives, curriculum development, and research.  Faculty in History, World Languages and Cultures, Ethnic Studies, and other departments participate in the Cluster.  The Cluster has developed a proposal for a new Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino/a/x Studies at BGSU: El Centro-BGSU.

La Union de Estudiantes Latinos (Latino Student Union/LSU) is proud to be a part of the Latino/a/x Issues Conference. Our members have proudly served on the steering committee of this conference from its first effort in 1995. LSU was founded in 1972 with the purpose of stimulating the common interest, advocating for civil liberties, and improving the quality of life for all Latinos. The primary goal of LSU is the enhancement of students’ lives utilizing social, communication, political, legal, and cultural programs, activities, and relationships. LSU also places a priority on educating and informing the general public about Latino culture and issues; networking with other student organizations, local groups, and alumni; and serving BGSU and the Bowling Green community. LSU meets every other Wednesday at 9:00 pm. LSU is open to everyone who has an interest in Latino culture and issues, and anyone looking for a “home” away from home at BGSU. Remember our motto: Not Latino? Not a problem! 

To learn more about LSU:

Vania Yael Montoya, President: vaniam@bgsu.edu

Twitter/Instagram: @BGLSU

The Office of Multicultural Affairs co-founded the Latino Issues Conference when it was still called Center for Multicultural and Academic Initiatives (CMAI).  Planning for that first conference began in 1994.  OMA staff member, Manny Vadillo, worked with the Latino Student Union on that inaugural event, and this collaboration between OMA and LSU continued.  There is a scholarship honoring Mr. Vadillo and his work given every year to a Latinx student. Over the years, many different members of OMA staff have led and/or participated in the planning committee, including Yolanda Flores who just retired from BGSU two years ago. The Office of Multicultural Affairs is honored to have been part of this important event for so many years.

The Department of Ethnic Studies originated as a program/center in 1970, before being recognized as an independent department in 1979. Ethnic Studies offers an interdisciplinary examination of race in society, including a strong emphasis on the intersection of race with gender, sexuality, and class in national and global contexts. The department offers a minor in Latino/a Studies as well as an Ethnic Studies major, minor, and graduate certificate, and the department is now part of the School of Cultural and Critical Studies. In 2020, the department marked its 50th anniversary and it celebrated this important milestone by hosting the annual Association of Ethnic Studies conference in November 2021. The Department of Ethnic Studies is proud to be collaborating with the Organizing Committee on this important event.