Students may not recognize the names Celia Cruz, Oscar Hijuelos and Tito Puente on first reference, but those who attended La Noche de Juego last Thursday know the names well and know they have one thing in common: They are all Latin Americans.

The Queen of Salsa, renowned composer and king of Latin music were recognized during Latino Jeopardy — an event that kicked off Ithaca College’s annual observance of Latin Heritage Month.

The month, recognized nationally from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15, commemorates the 1821 independence of five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua, and the subsequent emancipation of Mexico and Chile on Sept. 16 and 18.

Several Latino-based organizations at the college, including the African-Latino Society and the H.O.M.E. and Vecinos living communities, host on-campus events each year to celebrate the Hispanic community’s influence on American culture.

Events planned for this year include Ritmo de la Noche — Night of Rhythm — from 7 to 10:30 p.m. Wednesday in Emerson Suites. Junior David Cruz, a member of ALS, said the night will showcase Latin culture through movement, featuring performances by IC Muevete and Cornell Latin dance troupes.

The celebrations will continue at 7 p.m. next Thursday with a screening of “West Side Story” in the Klingenstein Lounge. The month’s on-campus festivities will conclude Oct. 12 in IC Square with Noche del Sabor, or Night of Flavor, which will feature free Latin American cuisine.

John Rawlins, assistant director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs, said Latin Heritage Month is a chance for students to learn and challenge pre-existing perceptions of Latin American culture.

“[The programming may] cause some students to think and challenge their thinking,” he said. “Not to change it, per se, but make them really think about [their perspectives].”

Sophomore Mia Jackson, public relations officer for ALS, said this year, the group is working to connect with students outside of ALS and related organizations.

“We are definitely honoring Latino culture, and a lot of people will be able to personally identify with it, but we don’t want it to be limited to a certain body,” she said. “Everything [ALS does] is meant to support a smaller community, but also to unite the Ithaca College community. Our hope is that everyone feels welcome.”

Cruz said he has seen strong progress in facilitating cultural awareness, largely by events organized by OMA, including the department’s “In My Own Words” speaker series.

Senior Patricia Rodriguez, vice president of Sigma Lambda Upsilon, or Señoritas Latinas Unidas Sorority, Inc., a national sorority established at Binghamton University in 1987, said Latino-based organizations and events allow campus communities to engage in dialogue on issues prevalent in the Hispanic population and celebrate and share cultural traditions.

“We talk about how few Latinos there are on college campuses, illegal and legal immigration and domestic violence,” she said. “We talk about our culture, our music, our food. There are just so many different things that we bring.”

Alicia Swords, assistant professor of sociology, teaches courses in Latin American studies and is working on a book about the Latino presence in American culture. She said the celebration of this month is important because Latinos have been integral to U.S. culture and economy more extensively than is typically acknowledged.

“We sometimes forget that the group we call Latinos have been part of this country for a very long time,” Swords said. “It’s really Latino and Hispanic labor that this country is very much based on today.”

Cruz said he believes there is a strong representation of students that identify as Latino on campus, including himself.

According to the Office of Institutional Research, Hispanics made up about 3 percent of the student body last year with 248 individuals. Figures for this year will not be available until next month.

Swords said demographic shifts in the U.S. population are an opportunity to challenge exclusionary norms in the U.S. that underemphasize the place of Hispanics in the nation.

Rodriguez said while she values the opportunities Latino Heritage Month offers students of all nationalities to celebrate Latino culture, appreciation and consciousness should be cultivated as an integral part of daily life, especially with the rapid proliferation of Latino communities in the U.S.

“We can’t forget that there are Latinos living in the U.S. all year round,” Rodriguez said. “We pay so much attention to one particular month and forget that there are issues that face this community for the entire year.”