The annual Bienvenida kicks off Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15-Oct. 15) at Fresno State, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 12, in the Peace Garden. The Bienvenida is designed to welcome incoming undergraduates who are Latinos.

Entertainment at Bienvenida will include the Fresno State Mariachi Group and Los Danzantes De Atzlán. Campus leaders will welcome students, and free tacos will be available after the ceremony (first come, first served).

The goal of Bienvenida, organized by the Latina/o Faculty and Staff Association, the Latino Programs and Services of the Cross Cultural and Gender Center, and Student Involvement, is to connect the students to Latino clubs, organizations and campus programs. Representatives from more than 25 organizations will be on hand with information tables.

For additional details about Bienvenida, contact Dr. Irán Barrera at 559.278.0398 or Estevan Parra 559.278.1622.

Fresno State is designated a Hispanic-Serving Institution by the U.S. Department of Education. According to preliminary fall 2019 enrollment data, more than 13,600 students are Hispanic, which accounts for 56.2% of the student body.

Other on-campus events during Hispanic Heritage Month include:

  • The Sept. 21 home football game against Sacramento State will be Bulldog Fiesta themed, along with serving as the annual AgFest. Fresno State will celebrate Hispanic heritage, culture and pride throughout the day with a free Bulldog Fiesta tailgate (partnership with Univisión) for the public in the Gray Lot with local celebrities, music, giveaways and lots of fun with food and drinks available for purchase. When gates open to Bulldog Stadium at 5:30 p.m., the Pride of the Valley Stadium Series will feature grilled sweet corn available at select concession stands. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. Tickets for the game start at $23 (general public) and $15 (Fresno State students). More information is available at www.GoBulldogs.com.
  • CineCulture presents a free screening of “The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez” at 5:30 p.m., Friday, Sept. 20, in the Peters Education Center Auditorium in the Student Recreation Center Building, next to the Save Mart Center. Parking is not enforced after 4 p.m. on Fridays. Dr. Robert Maldonado and Dr. Adán Ávalos will lead a discussion following the screening. Sponsored by the Center for Creativity and the Arts and Arte Américas.
  • CineCulture presents a free screening of “The River and the Wall” at 5:30 p.m., Friday, Oct. 4, in the Peters Education Center Auditorium in the Student Recreation Center Building, next to the Save Mart Center. Parking is not enforced after 4 p.m. on Fridays. Heather Mackey, the biologist featured in the film, will lead a discussion following the screening. Sponsored by Arte Américas and the Department of Political Science.
  • La Feria de Educación, one of two California State University education fairs held throughout the state and conducted mostly in Spanish, will be hosted by Fresno State for the fifth year from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5, at the Maple Mall on campus. Co-sponsored by the CSU Chancellor’s Office and Univisión Fresno, the past four Fresno State Feria events each drew more than 10,000 participants – Spanish-speaking families and their children – from Central Valley schools with the help of county migrant education offices.
  • Colorado author Kali Fajardo-Anstine will read from her debut story collection, “Sabrina & Corina,” at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 10, in The Backroom inside The Revue Coffee Bar (620 E. Olive Ave., Fresno). Critics have praised Fajardo-Anstine’s works as “haunting stories on friendship, mothers and daughters, and the deep-rooted truths of our homelands, centered on Latinas of indigenous ancestry that shine a new light on the American West.” Admission is free. This event is presented by the Master of Fine Arts Program in Creative Writing and the San Joaquin Review journal. Info: 559.278.1569