Cuban American journalist Achy Obejas will speak at IU Bloomington Sept. 30 during National Hispanic Heritage Month. Her lecture, titled "Navigating Multiple Identities," will take place from 7-8:30 p.m. at the Helene G. Simon Hillel Center (730 E. Third St.) and will address the issue of the interwoven facets of identity -- race, culture, sexual orientation, gender and religion -- that make us who we are.

A group of 13 Indiana University Bloomington undergraduate students will be leaving May 17 for Spain, where they will study Spanish history, culture and language, and compare the country's immigration issues to those in the United States. John Nieto-Phillips, associate professor of history, will co-direct the program at the Centro de Estudios Superiores (CES) Felipe II in Aranjuez, Spain.

The first cohort of undergraduate students enrolled in the Latino Studies minor at Indiana University Bloomington are set to graduate on May 3. The program's 15-credit hour minor was launched in fall 2006, and it now has 22 students with a declared minor.

Two international conferences taking place in April at Indiana University will apply scholarly and scientific analysis to questions of race in the U.S. and elsewhere in the Western Hemisphere. "Blackness in Latin America and the Caribbean" will take place April 4-5, and "Rethinking Race in the Americas: Anthropology, Politics and Policy" will be April 17-18.

Hispanic Heritage Month begins Saturday (Sept. 15), which is the anniversary of independence for five Latin American countries, and continues until Oct. 15. Contact information for each professor is listed below. Indiana University Bloomington professors have prepared comments from immigration to shifting views of Latinos after 9-11.

In the December issue of Learning Matters, find out why learning about economic and financial principles is just as important for students as learning about language arts, math and science. Hear from an IU expert about how the proposed new ISTEP will impact Indiana's students. Also, learn what makes first generation Latino students more likely to remain at their institute of higher education.

Featuring lectures and speakers on the Bloomington campus, including NPR's Michele Norris, recognizing the dangers of Facebook and "Confessions of a Cha Cha Feminist."

This issue of Lecture Notes features talks at IU Bloomington from Sept. 25 through Oct. 10. Lectures include a special evening with journalist Christopher Hitchens, and a lecture about Herman B. Wells.

Latino culture will be celebrated with food, dancing, interactive activities and more during the ninth annual Festival Latino at Indiana University Bloomington. IU's Latino Cultural Center, La Casa, is the main sponsor for the event. The outdoor festival will take place from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sept. 30 at Dunn Meadow, located at the corner of Seventh Street and Indiana Avenue in Bloomington. The festival, which is free and open to the public, is one of many events scheduled during National Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15 to Oct. 15).

Indiana University Bloomington professors share their comments about Hispanic issues in the United States in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, which begins Friday (Sept. 15) and continues until Oct. 15. The professors discuss how first-generation Latinos seek information, the premiere of the first Latin American-influenced television show, the growing interest in Latino Studies and why schools need to adjust their attitudes about Latina/o parents.

Lecture Notes includes lectures that will be held at Indiana University's Bloomington campus Sept. 13-24, 2006. The events are all open to the public.

The September 2006 issue of Learning Matters looks at research examining Latina/Latino parent involvement, sex education for students with developmental disabilities, the Teach with Tech podcast series and research that indicates the climate at rural schools may be beneficial to special education students.