Different cultures dotted the room at the Chicano and Latino welcome reception Thursday.
The Office of Racial Ethnic Student Affairs and Culturas de las Razas Unidas, or CRU, provided students with music and information at the Kellogg Center.
The 13 organizations of CRU aimed its information toward Chicano and Latino students, but students of other ethnicities toured their tables, too.
"It's a place where all races can come together and learn about Latino-type issues," Vice President of Student Affairs Lee June said. "It's a way of saying to students from various ethnic groups that you're welcome here at the university."
The group wants to extend more of its efforts into the Lansing community, CRU co-Chair Isaias Delgadillo said.
Members of CRU also informed the audience about issues that face the Chicano and Latino communities, such as too few students enrolling in college and doctors who can't communicate with their patients in Spanish.
"We've done an amazing job bringing awareness to issues that affect students here on campus," Delgadillo said.
CRU is also working on registering more Chicano and Latino people to vote.
"I think we've been absent at the voting polls," Delgadillo said. "By voting, we can decide which politicians in Washington, D.C., get into office or not. We want to make sure they're aware of our issues."
Additionally, CRU is going to work on uniting its organizations this year, co-Chair Angelita Navarro said. Groups will host more collective meetings in order to attract a larger audience.
"We want to see the community come together instead of having individual groups," Navarro said. "We want them to be more unified."
Engineering freshman Fernando Fitch browsed a couple fraternity booths. He hoped to join an organization or two, but also wanted to meet people at the reception.
The variety of students in the room surprised him, he said.
"I was expecting a roomful of Hispanic people, but there's a lot of variety," Fitch said.
CRU will host its first meeting at 7 p.m. on Sept. 14 in Wilson Hall.
