Discovering a new home: La Casa, bringing Latinos together

By Orlando Cordero

I'm one of the few Puerto Rican Yalies from New Haven, which has a fairly large Latino community. Coming to Yale was a dream come true. Yale is synonymous with "diversity"; its students come from all over the country and the world. I'd heard admissions officers and even students talk about Yale's "diverse student community." Indeed, there were innumerable groups to become involved in and many places to spend my time and energy. The question was, "Can I find somewhere here at Yale to hang out where there will be people who share experiences similar to mine?"

Well, I didn't have to look any further than La Casa. La Casa Cultural Julia de Burgos, better known to Yalies as "La Casa," is the Puerto Rican cultural center at Yale. Founded in 1975 and named after Puerto Rican poet Julia de Burgos, La Casa serves all members of the Yale, New Haven, and Latino communities, providing an educational forum on cultural, social, and political issues. Working there last year, I learned how Yale and New Haven can come together to enrich all those involved.

Composed of representatives of the New Haven and Yale communities, La Casa's Board of Directors oversees the use of the cultural center and develops the annual calendar of activities. La Casa is a central location for community service, student activities, and cultural education: it houses offices, classrooms, a new kitchen, a TV lounge, a conference room, a game room, and a comprehensive library collection of Puerto Rican and Latin American literature and social science writings.Several student and community organizations hold their meetings and events at La Casa. La Casa also features a mural of Julia de Burgos on an outside wall.

The Puerto Rican undergraduate student organization at Yale is named Despierta Boricua, often referred to as DB. DB's main objective is to foster a sense of community among Puerto Rican undergraduates. It presents Puerto Rican students' interests to the Administration and the Casa Board; sponsors cultural, political, and educational activities dealing with the Yale, Puerto Rican, and Latino communities in New Haven; works with the Admissions Office in recruitment efforts; and coordinates the organization of a support network of Puerto Rican alumni. So try hanging out at La Casa, or getting involved with DB during your first year here. Make La Casa your Casa! Back to the Freshman Issue...