UNI hosts many on-campus events, but the ones hosted off-campus often don’t get as much attention. It can be difficult for students to branch out of the university bubble, not only because it’s convenient, but also because it’s comfortable to stay on campus.

Places like the Waterloo Center for the Arts host many different activities and speakers and is a way to get off campus and explore one’s creativity. Even if there isn’t an activity hosted by UNI, it’s still a place that offers an experience within the Cedar Falls and Waterloo community.

Even Rod Library hosts a wide variety of events off-campus and have recently focused their efforts on their newest series, “Latino Americans: 500 Years of History.” On Tuesday, Sept. 1, director for multicultural education, Dr. Michael D. Blackwell, spoke to a group about racial prejudice, as well as equality as a whole at the Waterloo Center for the Arts.

The doors were open to anyone. However, the lack of college students attending was noticeable. So, what did college students miss by not attending?

Although the speech was mainly geared towards racial and cultural inequalities, Blackwell delivered the message of treating everyone with respect, including caring for the sick and old and being the “best human being you can be.”

Curator Chawne Paige had her own view about the changing social issues, “We already have the artifacts, and we have the words. All that’s left is the human or the voice.”

It’s not too late for students to get involved with the “Latino Americans: 500 Years of History” series. The Rod Library’s website has a list of upcoming events, with the Hispanic Heritage Month Kickoff event on Sept. 15 at Rod Library. There will be crafts, food, a pinata, as well as performances and discussions.

Rod library will be hosting many other events for “Latino Americans: 500 Years of History”. After the kickoff event on Sept. 15, Rod Library will be playing a number of films throughout the month including “Foreigners in Their Own Land”, “Empire of Dreams”, and “War and Peace”.