History

In 1988 Cesar Murillo (deceased in the attacks of September 11, 2001) and Phillip Gonzalez began inviting a small group of Latino/a students to get together to provide social support for one another. They soon found themselves meeting weekly and inviting others to join them. Though their original purpose was just to eat and have fun, they found themselves discussing the UVM climate and how important it was to get more students of color on campus. With encouragement from the office of Multicultural Affairs, they decided to pursue Student Govenment recognition and began the process of defining themselves as an official organization.

They drafted a Constitution that outlined their purposes. Finally, in November of 1989 that constitution was approved. Philip Gonzalez was named the first president of Alianza Latina, Pamela K Gardner was selected as advisor of the group. Within a year, they had a budget and a meeting place - the ALANA Student Center.