Student Organizations

Postcard of Trinity College Gates (before 1911). Illustration courtesy of Duke University Archives Flickr Photostream

AccessDuke

AccessDuke is a student coalition working to make Duke more accessible to undocumented students by granting undocumented students access to need-blind admission. Like the Facebook page and check out more details as well as the proposal here.

Cuban-American Student Association

CASA is a newly revived student group dedicated to informing the community about Cuban American topics, offering various presentations and events throughout the academic year. For more information, contact Stephanie Amador.

Duke Students for Humane Borders

Duke Students for Humane Borders is a student service organization whose purpose is to educate and spread awareness on issues concerning immigration, with emphasis on our nation's border with Mexico. For updates on events and projects, contact DSHB secretary Jessica Del Villar

Duke University Hispanic (DUHLAA) / Latino Alumni Association

DUHLAA is a recognized “affinity group” within the Duke Alumni Association. "DUHLAA promotes the best interests of the University by assisting it in tending to the needs of its Hispanic/Latino community and its alumni. Objectives are to promote communication among and services to the Duke Latino/a community and alumni, assist in recruitment of Latino/a students, and increase the endowment of scholarships for Latino/a students."

Gente Aprendiendo para Nuevas Oportunidades (GANO)

GANO is an organization at Duke that provides one-on-one ESL tutoring to help Spanish-speaking immigrants adjust to life in the United States. In addition, GANO offers child care and child tutoring services for the children of our tutees.  Classes meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:30 to 8 in the Carr Building on East Campus.  Contact Josh Latner orRebecca Cray for information on how you can volunteer.  

Hispanic Law Students Association (Duke Law School)

“The goal of HLSA is to unite Hispanic law students and to provide a support network to connect students with alumni around the world. The organization was created to aid new students in making the transition into law school, and to encourage prospective Hispanic students to come to Duke. HLSA brings together a variety of individuals to discuss the issues they will face as Hispanic lawyers in the future, such as the responsibilities of a Hispanic lawyer in society, the need for positive role models in Hispanic communities, and the availability of inexpensive/free legal aid. These discussions are usually intermingled with social activities where Hispanic and other law students can experience the richness of Hispanic culture. HLSA is also very active in the university Hispanic group Mi Gente, which sponsors salsa parties and other social events. We endeavor to enhance Duke Law School's environment by sharing the richness of Hispanic culture with the school.” Contact president Arianna Medina.

Kappa Chapter of Latinas Promoviendo Comunidad / Lambda Pi Chi Sorority, Inc.

"LPC is an organization whose central tenets not only affirm the importance of service to our communities but also encourage active participation in shaping our future.  With the support of a strong Hermandad, we transcend the collegiate experience to become a vehicle for the promotion of the Latino community.” | Note: The Kappa Chapter is currently inactive.

Latin American Student Association (LASA) at Fuqua

The Mission of LASA is to support the Latin American community at the Fuqua School of Business in academic, career, admissions and social efforts while encouraging the integration of the Latin American students into Fuqua and Duke University.

Latino/a Graduate Student Association (LGSA)

The LGSA is dedicated to promoting the success of Duke's Latina/o graduate students. The organization’s purpose is threefold. First, LGSA aims to build a community of Latina/o scholars at Duke by hosting a forum for academic exchange and social interaction, offering support to new students, and encouraging the recruitment of prospective Latina/o students. Second, LGSA seeks to build a network outside of Duke, connecting with national organizations, political organizations, and other academic institutions. Third, LGSA works to build a bridge between Duke and Durham Latino communities. Please contact LGSA via email, or visit their website, if you are interested in being involved in the group.

Latino Medical Student Association –– Duke Chapter

LMSA is dedicated to changing the "Face of Medicine" and the way health care is delivered in our country. According to the 2004 U.S. Census, 14.2% of the population, but only 6.4% of all medical graduates are Latino/a (AAMC Minorities in Medical Education, 2005 Facts & Figures). Though the proportion of Latino physicians has doubled since 1980, there is nonetheless an average ratio of 3,000 Latino patients to one Latino physician compared to the ratio of 335 non-Latino patients to one non-Latino physician. If you are interested in joining and/or obtaining a leadership position in LMSA, please send them an email and visit Duke chapter's Facebook page.

Latino Student Council (LSC)

The LSC facilitates communication and collaboration throughout the Hispanic/Latino community at Duke by bringing together representatives from different Hispanic/Latino organizations across campus and providing a forum for them to plan joint events, share information, and address any issues facing the Hispanic/Latino community. Our group is open to all students (Hispanic/Latino or otherwise) and includes representatives from administration, admissions, faculty, and the Duke University Hispanic/Latino Alumni Association. For more information or to become involved, please contact Stephanie Peral or Mariana Estévez.

Mi Gente (Latino Student Association)

Mi Gente is the largest of the Latino student groups on campus, offering many social and academic events throughout the year. The organization “aims to represent and serve overlapping, diverse, and heterogeneous populations. Duke's 6.5% Latino population reflects Hispanic diversity in the United States, including students not only from predominant Latino regions (Florida and the Southwest, for example) but also from throughout the country. We also reach out to Duke students beyond those who identify as Latino or Hispanic.” Latino/a Studies supports and counts on support from Mi Gente, often working together. The organization also hosts events with a multitude of other student groups, including the Black Student Alliance, the Freeman Center for Jewish Life, and Chi Omega sorority. “We make a point out of making our events accessible to a broad population beyond both the Duke and Latino communities.”  For information or to join the listserv, email Mi Gente Secretary, Maria Pacheco.

Omicron Chapter of Omega Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.

"The mission of Omega Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated is to serve and educate people of diverse backgrounds through sisterhood, leadership and guidance. As positive role models, we promote unity of all cultures, focus on the empowerment of our gender and raise the standards of excellence in our academic, social, and personal endeavors." For more information, visit their Facebook page, or contact current president Shirley Lope, or vice-president Jewel Llamas.

Project HEAL (Health Education and Awareness in Latin America) 

"The mission of Project HEAL is to plan and implement service projects in Latin America to reduce global health disparities. We value sustainable development and preventative measures that aim to improve community health. Project HEAL also partners with the Durham organizations, El Centro Hispano, the Durham Crisis Response Center, and Bull City Fit, to work with the local Latino community in health education.  Project HEAL travels to Honduras every summer, and our most recent work there focused on building awareness of women's health issues, especially cervical cancer and teen pregnancy." For more information, visit their website or email Sedona Jamerson.

The Race Workshop

The Race Workshop is an intellectual community of scholars interested in all facets of race scholarship. A variety of events include presentations by local and national figures, presentations by postdocs and graduate students, discussions of new books or relevant articles, discussions on the racial components of cultural artifacts such as movies, TV shows, or art, and discussions on how race matters in the academy.

Rho Chapter of La Unidad Latina, Lambda Upsilon Lambda Fraternity, Inc.

La Unidad Latina is an organization founded to provide a structure for the positive presence of underrepresented groups in colleges and universities across the nation. La Fraternidad promotes intellectual, cultural, and academic strength in its members in order to prepare them for lives as both leaders and team members, in their community and otherwise.  La Unidad Latina believes in a diverse membership, a commitment to academic excellence and a proactive vision towards raising awareness about the Latino culture and history.” 

Sabrosura

Sabrosura is Duke's Latin dance troupe.

Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers  

The SHPE Duke chapter is coordinated by Marianne Leonhardt.