A representative group of Dartmouth College students, alumni, faculty and staff coming together as a council to serve as a resource, support and advocate for the Latina/o and Latin American community at Dartmouth College and the Upper Valley. The LAC is coordinated by an elected moderator. Meetings are held monthly, unless there is a time sensitive matter.
As part of the Office of Pluralism and Leadership (OPAL), the Latina/Latino Advisor provides students with 1-on-1 personal and academic support, and works with students and student groups on leadership development and student organization matters. In collaboration with the Latina/o student groups, the Advisor sponsors a number of campus events and workshops focusing on raising awareness of Latina/o issues.
LALACS is an interdisciplinary program. It offers a standard major and minor in Latin American and Caribbean Studies (LACS), and courses in Latino Studies (LATS). LACS is designed to ensure both exposure to Latin American and Caribbean Studies, and the theoretical and empirical rigor of study in a single discipline. LATS focuses on the study of the Latina/o population and familiarizes students with the experience and cultural expression of the Latina/o communities in this country. LACS has signed a cooperative arrangement with Georgetown University. This allows LACS majors to study the summer of their junior year in Santiago, Chile, or Mexico City, Mexico.
Located at 38 North Main Street, the LALACS House is used for a variety of student and department programs and events. The house is sponsored by the Latin American, Latino and Caribbean Studies Program, and is coordinated by the Office of Pluralism and Leadership (OPAL), in collaboration with the Office of Residential Life. The 14 student bed facility also provides an apartment for the College's Chavez Fellow. The House was established to provide a residential and educational environment devoted to the exploration and expression of traditional and contemporary aspects of Latin American and Latino intellectual, social and cultural life. Being an academic affinity house, the Program will also facilitate communication and interaction among various sectors of the Latina/o community, students studying in the LALACS Program, faculty, the administration, and staff.
The Department of Spanish and Portuguese offers beginning language through advanced seminars, individual studies and honors programs, and a uniquely varied array of overseas programs. In all its activities, the Department seeks to affirm, within the liberal arts tradition, the importance of Iberian and Latin American culture for a nation which is increasingly aware of the wealth of its own rich Hispanic heritage. The Department offers Language Study Abroad Programs to Barcelona, Spain or Puebla, Mexico, as well as Foreign Study Programs in Madrid, Spain, and Buenos Aires, Argentina. Students studying Spanish can apply to live at La Casa, a residential language facility.
La Casa is an affinity program for students interested in practicing, improving, sharing or maintaining their Spanish or Portuguese speaking abilities and are interested in learning about Hispanic, Iberic or Lulso-Brazilian cultures. La Casa also serves the Dartmouth community with open events, including movie series, cooking classes, dinners, discussions and conversation hours.
Dartmouth Association of Latino Alumni (DALA)
The purpose of DALA is to promote and enrich the community of Latina/o and Latin American alumni of Dartmouth College, as well as to support current Latina/o students in their endeavors. Through DALA, we are dedicated to furthering and inspiring the College's social, cultural, intellectual, and educational development.
