Armoni Sloan

UCF’s Multicultural Student Center hosted “Colors Of Hispanic Heritage Month” on Wednesday night to recognize Latinx and Hispanic heritage on campus.

Hispanic Heritage Month is a month-long celebration beginning on Sept. 15 and ending on Oct. 15, according to the National Museum of the American Latino. This month serves as a time of recognition to contributions made by the Hispanic and Latinx communities such as art, food and pushes for political change.

The celebration begins in the middle of September to coincide with several independence days in Latin countries such as Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and many more, according to the Pew Research Center.

Ashtmi Deo, cultural and community director for the MSC, said that the center’s goal was to amplify the voices and nature of the Latin and Hispanic communities.

“We just wanted to emphasize that Hispanic and Latin culture is beautiful, it’s diverse, it’s rich, it’s so much more than whatever people would normally see on television or social media,” Deo said. “It’s a culture that’s an amalgamation of so many things. It’s the product of something that was forged in fire. Putting that variation forward for the students in UCF is what we really wanted to do.”

Not only did attendees engage in traditional games such as dominoes, they ate Latin-inspired foods such as chicken, empanadas, rice and beans prepared by UCF’s dining services. Additionally, dance performances from the Latin Rhythm dance group and strolling from Latin greeks were put on for participants.

The Delta Zeta Omega Chapter of Lambda Alpha Epsilon raised $3,032 during its Domestic Violence Awareness Charity Auction on Tuesday at the UCF Morgridge International Reading Center.

In recognition of October being Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the event aimed to bring awareness to domestic violence in our communities and prevention through law enforcement support, according to UCF’s event page.

Iryna Malendevych, criminal justice senior instructor and faculty co-advisor for Lambda Alpha Epsilon, said LAE is the only student organization to fully fund a scholarship for UCF students.

Through the charity auction, Lambda Alpha Epsilon's goal was to raise as much money as possible to fund the Amy Kuritar Lohrmann Memorial Endowed Scholarship. The Department of Criminal Justice awards the scholarship to several high-achieving and community-inclined students at UCF to honor the memory of Amy Kuritar Lohrmann, according to UCF's event page.

Lohrmann was an alumna of UCF and Lambda Alpha Epsilon who lost her life in a domestic violence incident in 2001, according to UCF's scholarship site.

The National Institution of Health states that domestic violence is responsible for over 1,500 deaths across the United States each year, with Florida accounting for approximately 200 deaths. In total, domestic violence makes up about 20% of murders annually.

Aaliyah Mercado, a senior criminal justice major, is the president of the Delta Zeta Omega chapter of Lambda Alpha Epsilon. She said that the chapter was able to auction off a choice between a helicopter or airboat ride. This item was valued at over one thousand dollars and sponsored by Seminole County Sheriff’s Office.

“Actually, the officer who speaks to the parents of Amy always coordinates with us and tries to donate that because that’s such a big thing that can be auctioned off,” Mercado said.

Amidst the bustling streets of downtown Orlando, the homeless community instantly noticed UCF's Pi Psi Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority members dressed in pink and green, passing out bags of necessities on Sunday morning.

After about a week and a half of collecting a variety of donated toiletries such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, bandages, Kleenex and more, the sorority traveled downtown to the Christian Service Center to help alleviate the homeless community.

An estimated 26,284 individuals are homeless in Florida, according to the Shimberg Center for Housing Studies. This includes 20,344 sheltered and unsheltered individuals and 5,940 unaccompanied youth doubled up with others in hotels and motels.

The study also shows that the Orange, Osceola and Seminole County regions had the highest count in Florida at 4,136 for homeless families.

Nia Ulysse, senior advertising and public relations major, is the president of the Pi Psi Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. She said that volunteering is important and is a crucial part of the organization’s local community initiative.

“It’s definitely important to make sure you’re providing the basic needs to those who are without a home,” Ulysse said. “The stuff that we think is easily accessible, it really is not when you don’t have all those resources.”

Andrea Small visited the Student Union patio on Tuesday to discuss the racial wealth gap in Central Florida during the Black Business Showcase.

Small is the director of operations for the African American Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida and a UCF alumna. During the speech, Small highlighted statistics and said what the chamber of commerce is doing to help end the gap.

According to Demos.org, the racial wealth gap can be defined as the difference in wealth holdings between the median household among different demographics. Small said that the gap gives Black people a disadvantage.

"[The gap] limits your access," Small said. "We should all have a seat at the table. By having this divide, it makes things more challenging for people of color, especially Black and brown people."

Small said that it is important the community gives Black people an opportunity.

"There are so many talented Black business owners that are out there, and they just need an opportunity," Small said. "That's why it's important that we continue to discuss this issue and take action to address it and make changes because there's plenty of room at the table for us all to be successful."