The UTD Mercury

One of the student organizations closely following the presidential race is UTD's Chapter of League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). Founded in 1929, LULAC's mission has been "to advance the economic condition, educational attainment, political influence, health and civil rights of the Hispanic population of the United States."

International Political Economy and LULAC Parliamentarian Andre Rodriguez, who also heads communications for all regional group chapters, said the biggest issues facing Latinos today are "education, healthcare and immigration. The biggest problem in the past has been not voting. Therefore, the biggest task facing LULAC is registering voters and getting them out to vote."

Via its Voter Registration Initiative, LULAC plans to procure voter registrar status for some of its council members, LULAC President and finance junior Eugenio Salinas said.

"Which would give them the power to register voters," he said. "We plan on holding routine voter registration booths in the student union, as well as any other event we may participate in, both on or off campus, until presidential elections in the Fall."

As a non-partisan organization, LULAC does not endorse any candidates. "We believe that involving Latinos in the political process - voting, running for political office - and not necessarily telling them who to vote for will go a long way towards progress," Rodriguez said.

LULAC will host a number of politically oriented events in the coming weeks. It will sponsor a media relations night in the week before spring break. Professor Walt Borges will lecture about how U.S. media works and how to gain access to it. LULAC is also working on a lecture series focusing on the Texas University System Board of Regents. This board is appointed by the governor and approved by the Texas Senate, makes decisions for the entire University of Texas system.

"We as students should discuss and understand how the system works, because ultimately its decisions affect us on a daily basis," Salinas said.

LULAC will sponsor a viewing of the film "Voces Inocentes (Innocent Voices)" after spring break. The film follows the life of innocent children during Ecuador's civil war in the 1980's. Salinas said he hopes "it teaches people to appreciate what a great life we have here in the United States, and to understand that there are many who have left their native countries for some of the very same reasons depicted in the film."

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